SMR Goes Back to Southland Center, Taylor, Michigan

This post will look at retail in Taylor, Wayne County, MI.

Southland Center

23000 Eureka Road, Taylor, MI

Driving distance and time from downtown Detroit: 16.5 miles, approx. 18 minutes

The last time I talked about Southland Center on SMR, the year was 2013. In the six years since...a larger Forever 21 opened, a Shoe Carnival opened and took over inline mall spaces, an Ulta opened and took over inline mall spaces, an H&M opened and took over inline mall spaces, the abandoned Mervyn's was torn down to put up a modern movie theater, the mall went from almost teetering with death to completely thriving, and the entire mall interior changed from dull, drab and yellowish to generic, shiny and white. And, also, a number inline stores closed their doors while new ones made appearances.

And it's due time that we take another look at what was the first retail property tour SMR ever conducted. Instead of me trying to rehash the history of Southland Center, we'll go with a quick timeline:

• 1966: The JL Hudson Corporation purchases the property of what would become Southland Center.
• 1970: Southland Center opened, developed by Victor Gruen and Louis G. Redstone and owned by the then-newly-formed Dayton-Hudson Corporation. Initial anchors included Hudson's, Hudson's Budget Store, Woolworth, Kroger and a two-screen movie theater.
• 1976: After Kroger moved across Eureka Road, their space was gutted and incorporated into a new wing featuring a JCPenney anchor.
• 1981: The west court bird aviaries and east court fountain were removed. The Hudson's Budget Store space was made into additional sales floor space for Hudson's presumably around this time.
• 1983: The movie theater's two auditoriums were split in half.
• 1986: Suburban Detroit Theaters sold the theater to AMC Theaters.
• 1988: Mervyn's opens and Southland Center was sold to the Rouse Company.
• 1992: The Picnic In The Garden food court was added. Woolworth closed presumably around this time and became Tilt Arcade.
• 1999: AMC closed the movie theater.
• 2000: A Borders opened in the former movie theater. Tilt Arcade closed presumably around this time.
• 2001: Hudson's became Marshall Field's.
• 2004: Southland Center was sold to General Growth Properties.
• 2005: Picnic In The Garden closed.
• 2006: Picnic In The Garden was demolished and it's skylight incorporated into a new Best Buy. Mervyn's closed. Marshall Field's became Macy's.
• 2011: Borders closed.
• 2012: Southland Center was spun off to Rouse Properties.
• 2013: Forever 21 moved into the former Borders. Shoe Carnival opened.
• 2014: Ulta opened.
• 2015: Mervyn's building was demolished for the construction of a Cinemark theater. H&M opened.
• 2016: Cinemark opened. Southland Center was sold to Brookfield Properties. A sit-down restaurant plaza was added near Forever 21 and Cinemark. 

And with that out of the way, let's go in!

 The nail place on the left in the northeast entrance has been there since the 1990's.

This GNC store was a victim of the company's recent move to shutter most of their mall-based locations.

Shoe Carnival was added in 2013, taking over several former inline mall spaces.

Zales recently relocated elsewhere within this mall, as you'll see later.

Looking west down the main corridor from the JCPenney court. Rue 21 is on the right, the bright orange facade on the left is an obvious former modern Payless Shoe Source, which had gotten that facade (and it's last logo) as it moved to that location from it's previous location that's now part of H&M.

As was the case six years ago, Southland still has a roster of local tenants. I believe this was once an EB Games many years ago, but I could be wrong.

This photo was taken on a previous visit. PMA Designer Oils recently moved to this former Christopher & Banks from the space in the next photo.

Before this was PMA Designer Oils, this space was a host of other tenants, including a Sprint store.

To the right is a part of the Macy's space that started out as a Hudson's Budget Store.

Macy's

23000 Eureka Road, Taylor, MI

Driving distance and time from downtown Detroit: 16.5 miles, approx. 18 minutes

Looking south along the Best Buy corridor.

This is the new Zales location in Southland.

Best Buy #401

23000 Eureka Road, Taylor, MI

Driving distance and time from downtown Detroit: 16.5 miles, approx. 18 minutes

Best Buy #401 relocated to Southland in late 2006 from the late Southtowne Crossing Shopping Center in Southgate. The fountains at the mall entrance, along with the skylight within the store, are all that remain from the Picnic In The Garden days.

Here's the Best Buy Skylight!

And here's the bottom of the skylight...

This store recently had a minor remodel. Movies was moved to the former spot of video games, though there is still a shelf of Amiibo figurines in this area (left).

This part of the main actionway was where CDs were sold for at least a year until recently. Beyond that is the old location of movies.

Customer service desk, and the store's only CD selection is now in the bin in front of the desk.

Checkout, with one of the only overhead signage that has been untouched since virtually the store's original opening.

A look down the Best Buy corridor from the Best Buy mall entrance.

We now begin to make our move towards the west end of this mall.

To the left is a former Aeropostale.

Zumiez, one of the tenants added in recent years, along with a closed (and short-lived!) Crazy 8 to the left.

Despite Forever 21's recent troubles, the Southland location will be here to stay.

The Southland Charlotte Russe was one of several Charlotte Russe stores that actually reopened after the rest of the chain went under in early 2019.

Another mall entrance into the Macy's.

H&M opened in 2015, replacing additional inline spaces.

 The north wall of the west court.

This was a former K-B Toys.

Looking west down the Cinemark corridor.

....and the doors at the end of that corridor.

Another recent addition.

Cinemark Southland Center 12 and XD

23000 Eureka Road, Taylor, MI

Driving distance and time from downtown Detroit: 16.5 miles, approx. 18 minutes

After several delays, this theater opened for business in April of 2016. Located inside are 12 stadium-seating auditoriums, with one dedicated to XD, the brand name for Cinemark's PLF.

The exterior of the Macy's building. A Macy's Backstage section was recently added to part of it's third floor.

And that's all we have tonight. Until next time....