The Mall of Monroe facts for kids
Interior hallway in the Mall of Monroe in 2010
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| Location | Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan, United States |
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| Coordinates | 41°56′49″N 83°23′16″W / 41.94694°N 83.38778°W |
| Address | 2121 North Monroe Street (M-125) |
| Opening date | 1988 |
| Developer | Cafaro Company |
| Management | Cafaro Company |
| No. of stores and services | 30+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7 (2 open, 5 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | GLA: 620,411 ft² (57,638 m²) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Website | Official website: http://www.themallofmonroe.com/ |
The Mall of Monroe, once known as Frenchtown Square Mall, is a large indoor shopping mall in Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan. It is found just north of the city of Monroe along North Monroe Street (M-125). The mall first opened in 1988. Today, it has more than thirty shops and even a church. The Cafaro Company from Youngstown, Ohio manages the mall. Its main stores, called anchor stores, are Planet Fitness and Phoenix Theatres. There are also five empty anchor spots. These used to be Target, two Carson's stores, Sears, and Pat Catan's.
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A Look Back: The Mall's History
The mall first opened its doors in 1988. Back then, it was called Frenchtown Square Mall. It was built on M-125 (Monroe Street) north of Monroe.
When it first opened, the mall had several big stores. These included Michigan's first Phar-Mor pharmacy, along with JCPenney, Sears, Hills, and Elder-Beerman.
Changes in the Early Years
In 1993, the Hills store closed down. Target soon took its place. When Phar-Mor closed in 1995, the space was split. Part of it became an Elder-Beerman home store. Another part became an OfficeMax, but this store did not have an entrance from inside the mall. Later, a clothing store called Old Navy also opened.
More Stores Come and Go
OfficeMax closed in the early 2000s. JCPenney closed in 2004. Two years later, a store called Steve & Barry's opened in its spot. The mall's movie theater, Regal Cinemas, closed in August 2007. However, it reopened just three months later. Phoenix Theatres took over managing it.
Steve & Barry's closed in late 2008. Old Navy also closed around the same time. In late 2011, Sears announced that its store at the Mall of Monroe would close too.
New Name and Renovations
In 2009, the Cafaro Company announced big plans. They would spend $2 million to update the mall. As part of these changes, the old Old Navy store became a clothing store called Wear District. The mall also got a new name: The Mall of Monroe.
Both Elder-Beerman stores were renamed Carson's. In 2013, an expo center opened where JCPenney and Steve & Barry's used to be. Planet Fitness moved into the old OfficeMax space in 2014.
Recent Changes and New Businesses
The expo center closed in 2014. A craft store called Pat Catan's then moved into that spot. This store moved from another location in Monroe. In late 2014, Target announced it would close its Mall of Monroe store in early 2015.
In late 2015, a fun center called Family & Friends Funland opened. It took over the space where Old Navy used to be. In 2016, Phoenix Theatres added four more movie screens. This change meant the mall's food court was removed.
In 2018, both Carson's stores closed. This happened as part of a big shutdown for the entire Carson's chain. In 2019, Monroe City Church opened in the former Carson's Home Store. Pat Catan's also closed in September 2019. There were no plans for it to reopen as a Michael's craft store.
Also in 2019, River Raisin Crossfit opened. It is in a space near the old Target. This spot was previously home to Dunham's Sports and rue21. In 2020, Leviathan, a local marketing company, planned to move into the spaces between the former Target and Pat Catan's.
