Arborland Center facts for kids
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| Location | Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States |
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| Coordinates | 42°15′21.8″N 83°41′15.2″W / 42.256056°N 83.687556°W |
| Opening date | 1961, redeveloped 1999 |
| Developer | Taubman Centers (original mall) Simon Property Group (1980s mall) |
| Management | AmCap Incorporated |
| Owner | Brixmor Property Group |
| No. of stores and services | 26 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7 |
| Total retail floor area | 406,736 sq ft (37,787.0 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Public transit access | AAATA 4, 24, 66 |
Arborland Center is a big shopping area in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. It first opened in 1961 as an outdoor mall. Later, in 1998, it was changed into a "power center." This means it has many large stores, often called "anchor stores." Today, some of these main stores are Marshalls, Petco, Gardner-White Furniture (which used to be Toys "R" Us), and Bed Bath & Beyond.
Contents
History of Arborland
Arborland was the first large shopping center outside the main city area in Ann Arbor. It opened in the early 1960s.
Early Years (1960s-1970s)
When Arborland first opened, it had major stores like JCPenney, Kresge, Kroger, and Montgomery Ward. These were its "anchor stores," meaning they were the big, popular stores that attracted shoppers.
In 1973, a bigger mall called Briarwood Mall opened nearby. JCPenney moved to this new mall. Because of this new competition, Arborland started to lose other stores in the late 1970s.
Changes and Renovations (1980s)
In 1980, a company bought Arborland. They changed it from an outdoor mall to an indoor one. They also replaced the empty JCPenney store with a new store called Crowley's. But even with these changes, more stores left the mall in the early 1980s.
In 1983, another company, now known as Simon Property Group, bought Arborland. They decided to turn it into a place for discount and outlet stores. This meant the Crowley's store had to close because it didn't fit the new discount idea. At that time, the shopping center had only 13 stores left.
Simon Property Group worked hard to bring in new businesses. They added over 45 new stores! Some of the new main stores included Burlington Coat Factory, Service Merchandise, F&M, Toys "R" Us, and Marshalls. They also added a food court where people could eat.
Becoming a Power Center (1990s-Today)
In the late 1990s, a company called Freed and Associates bought Arborland. They tore down most of the old mall buildings. They rebuilt it as a "big box" shopping area. This means it became a place with many large, standalone stores, like a "power center."
During this change, the Toys "R" Us store was rebuilt. Marshalls and the old F&M building (which is now OfficeMax) stayed.
In 2005, Arborland was sold for a lot of money, showing how much it had grown.
Some stores have changed over the years:
- The Borders bookstore closed in 2011. Its space was later divided for Five Below and Ulta.
- Nordstrom Rack opened in 2013 in a spot that used to be Circuit City.
- In 2018, Toys "R" Us closed all its US stores, including the one at Arborland. By 2021, a furniture store called Gardner-White Furniture opened in that space.
