Laurel Park Place

Laurel Park Place is an enclosed shopping mall in Livonia, a suburban city in the Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan. Positioned near the interchange of Interstate 275 and Six Mile Road, the property combines conventional mall retail with restaurants, entertainment, hospitality, and office uses. Its complex includes roughly 30 stores, three restaurants, a Phoenix movie theater, a food court, the attached Livonia Marriott hotel, and an office building. The center's principal retail anchors are Von Maur and Dunham's Sports. The mall was developed by Schostak Bros. & Co., a Southfield, Michigan real-estate company, and opened in 1989. From the beginning, Laurel Park Place was planned as more than a basic retail strip: its development incorporated a Marriott hotel and an office tower alongside the enclosed shopping area. Its original major department-store anchor was Jacobson's, a Michigan-based chain headquartered in Jackson. The Laurel Park Place location was the largest store in the Jacobson's system, giving the new center a prominent regional-destination role. Laurel Park Place expanded in the 1990s as department-store competition and suburban retail demand grew. Parisian opened its first Michigan location at the mall in August 1994. The opening formed part of a 150,000-square-foot expansion that added retail space at the northern end of the complex. This expansion broadened the center's tenant mix and strengthened its position within the competitive Detroit-area mall market. The mall experienced several anchor changes in the 2000s and 2010s. Jacobson's entered bankruptcy and closed its remaining stores in 2002. Its Laurel Park Place space was subsequently replaced by Von Maur in 2003, preserving a department-store anchor while introducing a different regional retailer. CBL & Associates Properties acquired a 70 percent joint-venture interest in Laurel Park Place from Schostak Bros. & Co. in 2005 and became responsible for managing the property. Schostak later relocated its headquarters to the mall's office complex, maintaining a direct connection between the developer and the property. In 2007, Laurel Park Place joined other Detroit-area malls in installing large-screen televisions throughout the center. The screens were used to advertise businesses located within the mall, reflecting an effort to create an additional on-site promotional channel. A food court was added next to the Marriott hotel in 2008. Later reporting indicated that the food-court area was largely vacant by 2020, illustrating the broader pressure on enclosed malls and on traditional food-and-retail formats. Parisian's identity changed when the store was rebranded as Carson's in January 2013. That banner remained until the bankruptcy and liquidation of Carson's parent company, The Bon-Ton Stores. The closure was announced in April 2018, and the Laurel Park Place store shut on August 29 of that year. The vacant lower-level department-store premises were subsequently reused by Dunham's Sports, which opened a 45,000-square-foot store there on November 15, 2019. Laurel Park Place remains a locally oriented mixed-use shopping destination rather than a nationally prominent standalone consumer brand. Its identity is built around its location, enclosed-mall format, department-store and sporting-goods anchors, hospitality connection, restaurants, cinema, and office component. The mall's history reflects several major phases of American suburban retail: department-store-led development in the late 1980s, expansion and new anchor entry in the 1990s, ownership restructuring in the 2000s, and later anchor replacement and adaptive reuse in response to department-store closures.

Laurel Park Place was developed by Schostak Bros. & Co. of Southfield, Michigan, and opened in Livonia in 1989. The project was conceived as a substantial suburban commercial complex rather than a simple enclosed retail center. Alongside its mall shops, it included a Marriott hotel and an office tower, creating a combination of retail, hospitality, and workplace uses near the intersection of Interstate 275 and Six Mile Road. The original anchor was Jacobson's, a department-store chain based in Jackson, Michigan. The Laurel Park Place branch was the largest store operated by the chain. During the 1990s, the mall expanded as new department-store competition entered the Michigan market. Parisian opened its first Michigan store at Laurel Park Place in August 1994. The opening accompanied a 150,000-square-foot expansion that added space at the northern end of the mall and increased the center's capacity for stores and customer services. Jacobson's later entered bankruptcy and closed its remaining stores in 2002. The former Jacobson's premises at Laurel Park Place were replaced by Von Maur in 2003, giving the mall a new department-store anchor. In 2005, CBL & Associates Properties acquired a 70 percent joint-venture interest from Schostak Bros. & Co. and took on management of the property. Schostak subsequently moved its headquarters into the office complex attached to the mall, keeping the developer involved in the site's broader mixed-use operation. The property adopted several promotional and amenity initiatives during the 2000s. In 2007, it installed large-screen televisions throughout the mall to advertise businesses operating within the center. In 2008, a food court was added near the Marriott hotel. The food-court addition expanded the mall's dining offer, although the space was reported to be mostly vacant by 2020. The department-store component changed again in the 2010s. Parisian was rebranded as Carson's in January 2013. Carson's later became part of the collapse of The Bon-Ton Stores. On April 18, 2018, the closure of the Laurel Park Place Carson's store was announced, and the location closed on August 29 of that year. The former Carson's space was subsequently reused by Dunham's Sports, which opened a 45,000-square-foot store in the lower level on November 15, 2019. The mall is managed by CBL & Associates Properties and is described as having approximately 30 stores and three restaurants. Its amenities and tenants include Von Maur, Dunham's Sports, a Phoenix movie theater, restaurants, a food court, the attached Livonia Marriott, and an office building. In 2004, the property reportedly generated sales of $409 per square foot, a figure described as exceeding the threshold associated with class A mall properties at that time. Laurel Park Place's development and subsequent anchor changes illustrate the evolution of suburban enclosed malls from department-store-centered destinations toward mixed-use properties relying on retail, sporting goods, dining, entertainment, hospitality, and offices.

• 2019

  Dunham's Sports opens

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Dunham's Sports opens a 45,000-square-foot store in the former Carson's space on November 15.

• 2018

  Carson's closes

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The Carson's store closes on August 29 after the liquidation of parent company The Bon-Ton Stores.

• 2013

  Parisian becomes Carson's

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The Parisian department-store location is rebranded as Carson's in January.

• 2008

  Food court added

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  A food court opens beside the Marriott hotel.

• 2007

  In-mall advertising screens introduced

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Large-screen televisions are installed throughout the mall to promote on-site businesses.

• 2005

  CBL acquires a majority interest

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  CBL & Associates Properties acquires a 70 percent joint-venture interest from Schostak Bros. & Co. and manages the property.

• 2003

  Von Maur replaces Jacobson's

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Von Maur takes over the former Jacobson's location and becomes one of the mall's principal anchors.

• 2002

  Jacobson's closes

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Jacobson's closes its remaining stores following bankruptcy, leaving its Laurel Park Place anchor space available for replacement.

• 1994

  Parisian opens its first Michigan store

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Parisian opens at Laurel Park Place in August as part of a 150,000-square-foot mall expansion.

• 1989

  Laurel Park Place opens

  [1]Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Schostak Bros. & Co. opens the enclosed mall in Livonia with a Marriott hotel, an office tower, and Jacobson's as its principal anchor.

A suburban, mixed-use enclosed shopping center serving Livonia and the western Detroit metropolitan area through department stores, sporting goods, specialty retail, dining, entertainment, hospitality, and office space.

• Retail property · 1989

  Enclosed shopping mall

  The core Laurel Park Place offering is an enclosed suburban shopping environment with approximately 30 stores, common areas, restaurants, and customer amenities. Its tenant mix has changed over time as department stores and specialty retailers have entered, rebranded, or closed. The property is complemented by hotel, office, entertainment, and dining uses.

• Department store · 2003

  Von Maur

  Von Maur is one of Laurel Park Place's principal anchor stores. It replaced the former Jacobson's location in 2003, maintaining a large department-store presence after Jacobson's bankruptcy and closure. The anchor contributes apparel, accessories, home goods, and related department-store merchandise to the mall's tenant mix.

• Sporting-goods retailer · 2019

  Dunham's Sports

  Dunham's Sports occupies the lower level of the former Carson's department-store space. Its 45,000-square-foot location opened in November 2019 and provides sporting goods, athletic equipment, apparel, and related merchandise. The store represents the reuse of a large former department-store footprint after the closure of Carson's.

• Hotel · 1989

  Livonia Marriott

  The attached Livonia Marriott forms part of Laurel Park Place's original mixed-use design. Its presence extends the property beyond shopping by adding lodging and hospitality activity directly connected to the mall and its office component.

• Entertainment

  Phoenix movie theater

  A Phoenix movie theater is among the entertainment facilities associated with Laurel Park Place, giving the center a cinema component alongside its retail, dining, hotel, and office uses.

• 2007In-mall digital advertising screens

  Livonia · Metro Detroit

  Laurel Park Place installed large-screen televisions throughout the mall to advertise businesses operating inside the property. The initiative was part of a broader effort also used at two other Detroit-area malls.

  Outcome. The screens created an additional promotional channel for mall tenants, although the available reference does not quantify its commercial results.

  Source

• 2019

  Reuse the former Carson's anchor spaceStrategy

  Background

  The closure of Carson's in 2018 left a large department-store footprint vacant at the mall.

  Action taken

  Laurel Park Place brought in Dunham's Sports, which opened a 45,000-square-foot store in the lower level on November 15, 2019.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment restored an anchor-scale retail use with a sporting-goods tenant after the department-store closure.

  Source

• 2013

  Rebrand Parisian as Carson'sStrategy

  Background

  The Parisian department-store banner was being integrated into the Carson's brand.

  Action taken

  The Laurel Park Place Parisian store changed its name to Carson's in January 2013.

  Aftermath

  The department-store space continued operating under the Carson's identity until the store closed in 2018 during The Bon-Ton Stores' liquidation.

  Source

• 2005

  Transfer a majority joint-venture interest to CBLM&A

  Background

  Schostak Bros. & Co. remained connected to the property but brought in a major shopping-center owner and operator.

  Action taken

  CBL & Associates Properties acquired a 70 percent joint-venture interest in Laurel Park Place and assumed management responsibilities.

  Aftermath

  CBL became the mall's managing operator, while Schostak retained an ownership interest and later moved its headquarters into the office complex.

  Source

• 1994

  Expand the mall for Parisian's Michigan debutStrategy

  Background

  Laurel Park Place sought to broaden its tenant base and regional draw during the 1990s suburban-mall expansion period.

  Action taken

  The property added 150,000 square feet of space at its northern end and welcomed Parisian's first Michigan store.

  Aftermath

  The expansion increased the mall's retail capacity and added a prominent department-store tenant.

  Source

1. 1Laurel Park Placeen.wikipedia.org