Maple Hill Pavilion
A retail shopping center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, redeveloped from the former enclosed Maple Hill Mall.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Maple Hill Pavilion is a retail shopping center on West Main Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is the successor to Maple Hill Mall, an enclosed shopping mall that opened in 1971 on the northwestern side of the city along M-43. The original center was anchored by Montgomery Ward and several regional or local department stores, including Steketee's, Wurzburg's, and Gilmore Brothers. A detached combination Turn Style and Jewel Food Stores operation also served the development, while the west end included the High Wheeler Ice Cream Parlor near Meijer Square. The center's retail format changed substantially over time. Wurzburg's closed during the 1970s, and its former space was absorbed into the mall. In the mid-1980s, Turn Style was replaced by Meijer Square, a discount-department-store concept operated by Meijer. The location was unusual because it was the only Meijer Square situated inside an enclosed mall and did not include the full grocery assortment associated with conventional Meijer stores. Meijer later relocated to a standalone site at West Main Street and 9th Street. The former Meijer Square building was demolished and replaced by a Target store in the early 1990s. The enclosed mall entered a prolonged period of decline as its department-store anchors disappeared. Gilmore Brothers closed in 1995, followed by Montgomery Ward in 2000 and Steketee's in 2003. The loss of these anchors reduced customer traffic and contributed to the departure of many inline tenants. Big-box retailers including Office Max and Marshalls were added during the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the original enclosed configuration continued to experience vacancies. Kimco Realty acquired the property in 2003 and pursued a redevelopment strategy. In 2004, Value City Furniture and Hobby Lobby occupied the former Montgomery Ward space, each taking part of the building. Kimco began demolishing the enclosed mall during the summer of 2004. The principal anchor buildings were retained, as was a nearby Michigan Secretary of State office next to Target, and the remaining spaces were linked through a new open-air strip-center layout. The redeveloped property adopted the Maple Hill Pavilion name. Maple Hill Pavilion retained or attracted a mixture of national retailers and service businesses. The remaining tenants GNC, Regis Hairstylists, Dollar Tree, and Glamour Nails reopened in new locations within the strip center. Subsequent tenants listed in connection with the pavilion included PetSmart, Rue 21, Pier One Imports, GameStop, and DSW Shoe Warehouse, alongside Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, Office Max, Rooms Today, and Target. The former Value City Furniture space underwent a later naming change to Rooms Today and was subsequently identified again as Value City Furniture in the available historical account. The property is described as being managed by ShopOne Centers REIT. Its identity is therefore primarily that of a local retail destination and shopping-center property rather than a consumer-goods brand. The redevelopment illustrates the conversion of a declining enclosed mall into a more flexible open-air, big-box-oriented retail center.
History
Maple Hill Pavilion originated as Maple Hill Mall, an enclosed shopping center that opened in 1971 on West Main Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The mall was positioned on the northwestern side of the city along M-43 and initially relied on a combination of national, regional, and local department stores. Montgomery Ward served as one of the principal anchors, joined by Grand Rapids-based Steketee's and Wurzburg's and Kalamazoo-based Gilmore Brothers. A detached Turn Style/Jewel Food Stores combination was located next to Wurzburg's, while the west end of the building included the High Wheeler Ice Cream Parlor near Meijer Square. The tenant mix evolved as department-store concepts changed. Wurzburg's closed in the 1970s, after which its former location was converted into additional mall space. During the mid-1980s, Turn Style closed and the site was taken by Meijer Square. Meijer Square was a discount department store rather than a full-line Meijer supermarket, making the mall location distinct within the Meijer organization. Meijer later moved to a standalone location at West Main Street and 9th Street. The former Meijer Square site was subsequently demolished and replaced by Target in the early 1990s. Maple Hill Mall's long-term stability weakened as its established anchors departed. Gilmore Brothers closed in 1995, Montgomery Ward followed in 2000, and Steketee's closed in 2003. The loss of these stores reduced the center's ability to generate customer traffic, and numerous smaller tenants left. The property attempted to adapt by adding larger-format retailers, including Office Max and Marshalls in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These additions did not fully reverse the decline of the enclosed mall format. Kimco Realty acquired the property in 2003 and pursued a major physical and commercial redevelopment. In 2004, Value City Furniture and Hobby Lobby moved into the former Montgomery Ward building, dividing the space between them. Kimco then began demolishing the enclosed mall during the summer of that year. The main anchor structures were preserved, along with a Secretary of State office adjacent to Target, while a new open-air strip center was built to connect the retained spaces. The resulting retail development was named Maple Hill Pavilion. Several of the few remaining inline tenants—GNC, Dollar Tree, Regis Hairstylists, and Glamour Nails—were given new locations in the redeveloped center. The pavilion also attracted or retained national retailers such as PetSmart, Rue 21, Pier One Imports, GameStop, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, Office Max, Rooms Today, and Target, according to the historical account. The former Value City Furniture space was later identified as Rooms Today and was subsequently referred to again as Value City Furniture. Maple Hill Pavilion represents a shift from enclosed regional-mall retailing to an open-air, big-box-oriented shopping-center model. The available reference material identifies ShopOne Centers REIT as the property's manager. No reliable information in the supplied sources establishes a founder, current individual executives, a corporate website, ownership details, or public-market listing for the center.
- 2006
Value City Furniture space changes name
[1]The former Value City Furniture location is reported as being renamed Rooms Today, with a later reference again identifying it as Value City Furniture.
- 2004
Enclosed mall redevelopment begins
[1]Demolition begins in the summer, while the principal anchor buildings and the nearby Secretary of State office are retained.
- 2004
Maple Hill Pavilion is established
[1]A new open-air strip-center configuration connects the surviving retail spaces and is introduced under the Maple Hill Pavilion name.
- 2003
Steketee's closes and Kimco acquires the property
[1]Steketee's closes, and Kimco Realty acquires the mall with a plan to renovate and redevelop the increasingly vacant property.
- 2000
Montgomery Ward closes
[1]The Montgomery Ward anchor closes, further weakening the mall's traditional department-store draw.
- 1995
Gilmore Brothers closes
[1]Gilmore Brothers closes, and its former department-store space becomes part of the mall's available retail area.
- 1990
Target replaces the former Meijer Square site
[1]After Meijer relocates to a standalone location, the former Meijer Square building is demolished and replaced by Target in the early 1990s.
- 1985
Meijer Square replaces Turn Style
[1]The Turn Style operation is replaced by Meijer Square, a discount-department-store concept and the only Meijer Square located inside an enclosed mall.
- 1971
Maple Hill Mall opens
[1]The enclosed Maple Hill Mall opens on West Main Street in Kalamazoo with Montgomery Ward, Steketee's, Wurzburg's, and Gilmore Brothers among its principal department-store anchors.
- 1970
Wurzburg's closes
[1]Wurzburg's closes during the 1970s, and its former location is converted into additional mall space.
Products and positioning
A neighborhood-oriented, open-air retail center serving Kalamazoo after the conversion of a declining enclosed mall into a strip-mall format.
Shopping center · 2004
Maple Hill Pavilion retail center
The core offering is an open-air strip-center retail property created from the redevelopment of Maple Hill Mall. It combines retained anchor buildings and newer or reconfigured storefronts, allowing large-format retailers, specialty stores, and service businesses to operate in a flexible shopping-center environment.
Retail leasing · 2004
Anchor and big-box retail space
Maple Hill Pavilion's tenant mix has included large-format and national retailers such as Target, Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, Office Max, PetSmart, DSW Shoe Warehouse, and furniture retailers. These stores provide the destination-oriented traffic that the original enclosed mall had historically obtained from department-store anchors.
Retail and personal services · 2004
Specialty retail and services
The redeveloped center also accommodated specialty retailers and service operators. Businesses identified in the historical account include GNC, Dollar Tree, Regis Hairstylists, Glamour Nails, Rue 21, Pier One Imports, and GameStop. Several pre-redevelopment tenants reopened in new storefronts after demolition of the enclosed mall.
Brand decisions
2004
Conversion from enclosed mall to strip centerStrategyBackground
By the early 2000s, the property had few remaining inline tenants and had lost the department stores that originally anchored Maple Hill Mall.
Action taken
The enclosed mall was demolished while the anchor buildings and nearby Secretary of State office were retained. New construction connected the surviving spaces in an open-air retail layout.
Aftermath
The redeveloped property reopened as Maple Hill Pavilion with a tenant mix centered on big-box retailers, specialty stores, and services.
2004
Maple Hill Pavilion launchesProduct launchBackground
The new retail identity followed the physical conversion of Maple Hill Mall into an open-air shopping center.
Action taken
The redeveloped property adopted the Maple Hill Pavilion name and reopened or added multiple retailers, including relocated former inline tenants.
Aftermath
The property transitioned from an enclosed regional mall concept to a strip-center model serving Kalamazoo.
2003
Kimco Realty acquires the mallM&ABackground
The enclosed mall had lost several major department-store anchors and was experiencing declining traffic and tenant vacancies.
Action taken
Kimco Realty acquired the property and planned a renovation and broader redevelopment rather than maintaining the existing enclosed-mall format.
Aftermath
The acquisition led to the demolition of most of the enclosed mall and the creation of Maple Hill Pavilion as an open-air strip center.
Recent events
- 2004
Redevelopment begins at Maple Hill Mall[1]
Other
Demolition of the enclosed mall began during the summer as part of a conversion to an open-air strip-center format.
- 2004
Maple Hill Pavilion opens as a redeveloped retail center[1]
Product launch
The redevelopment connected retained anchor buildings and other surviving facilities into a new strip mall called Maple Hill Pavilion.
- 2003
Maple Hill Mall loses major department-store anchors[1]
Other
Gilmore Brothers, Montgomery Ward, and Steketee's had closed by this period, contributing to declining traffic and extensive mall vacancies.
- 2003
Kimco Realty acquires Maple Hill Mall[1]
M&A
Kimco Realty acquired the property and announced plans to renovate and reposition the declining enclosed shopping center.
- 1980
Meijer Square replaces Turn Style[1]
Other
During the mid-1980s, the former Turn Style location was replaced by Meijer Square, a discount-department-store concept that operated inside the enclosed mall.
- 1971
Maple Hill Mall opens in Kalamazoo[1]
Other
The enclosed Maple Hill Mall opened on West Main Street with Montgomery Ward and several regional and local department-store anchors.
Sources1 sources
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