UNIVERSAL MALL / UNIVERSAL CITY: WARREN, MI
Bobby Peacock and Eric Mackey's Commentary
Posted November 20, 2006 (user submitted)
Universal Mall is just another story about bigger and better competition moving
in just a few miles away...
Opened in 1965, Universal Mall is a mall in Warren, Michigan, a suburb of
Detroit. The mall is located in Macomb County at the intersection of 12 Mile
Road and Dequindre Road, convenient to both I-75 and I-696. The mall is
considered "dead" by some, as many stores have left. Anchoring Universal Mall
are AJ Wright and Value City; in addition, the mall featuers a food court and a
large movie theater.
Originally named Universal City, the mall's anchor stores at the time were
Montgomery Ward, Federals, and Woolworth. Ben Franklin, Cunningham Drugs, and
about 50 other stores rounded out the tenant roster. Around 1977, Federals
declared bankruptcy and closed all their locations; their store at Universal
City was converted to a Crowley's. The 1970s also saw the arrival of
development around the mall, including a movie theater and a large E. J.
Korvette department store (now Kmart).
In the early 1970s, Oakland Mall opened in nearby Troy and Macomb Mall in
Roseville. These malls were both withing miles of Universal; and were also
larger. Universal Mall continued to hold its own throughout the 1990s, despite
increased competition these malls. In 1997, the long-established Woolworth dime
store chain closed all of its locations, leaving a large vacancy in the mall's
Montgomery Ward wing. By 2000, Montgomery Ward would close as well, further
decreasing the traffic in the north wing. The Crowley's store was bought out by
Value City and renamed "Crowley's Value City" (later dropping the Crowley's
nomenclature entirely), leaving it and Mervyns as the only anchor stores. As
the mall lost these anchors, it would also lose many chain tenants. Spencer's
Gifts, KB Toys (formerly Circus World), B. Dalton, Hallmark Cards, Famous
Footwear, Gap, Zales Jewelers, Musicland, A & W, and Olga's Kitchen would be
among the many stores and restaurants leaving for other malls or disappearing
entirely. One lone holdout, a food vender called Kreme & Korn, would weather
the storm; today it is one of the oldest remaining tenants in the mall.
The mall fell into a state of disrepair in the late 1990s, and due to
maintenance issues, the mall's fountain was also shut off. Occupancy slumped to
about 45%, and most of the remaining tenants were independent boutiques.
However, new management came in the form of Universal Mall Properties, who
would give the mall a much-needed remodel and cleaning. In September 2001, the
75,000 square foot Burlington Coat Factory opened for business, occupying the
former Woolworth space and several other spaces in the former Montgomery Ward
wing. A.J. Wright opened in 2002, taking up the former Ben Franklin space.
Since the new management took over, occupancy has increased to 75%, although
the tenant roster is still predominantly local and independent shops. The new
owners are also working on plans to fill the vacancy left by Montgomery Ward.
Mervyns announced that it would shutter several underperforming locations in
2006, including all Michigan stores; the Michigan locations all closed in
Spring 2006. Since the closure, Universal Mall's western anchor is now vacant,
and as of autumn 2006 no tenant has been confirmed to take its place.
Although no longer the prime shopping destination that it once was, Universal
Mall continues to function as a shopping center. Many businesses have opened on
outparcels over the years, (including Chase Manhattan Bank, TCF Bank,
Huntington Bank, and Kroger). The Cinemark 16 theatre, a second-run theatre, is
one of the stronger tenants of the mall. The only remaining chain stores are
Deb Shop, Dollar Tree, GNC, Fiesta Hair Salon, and Foot Locker.
The mall itself hosts many events - in the summer and spring it hosts the
annual Warren Rotary Carnival as well as a classic car show to complement the
Woodward Dream Cruise. In addition the mall has children and senior citizen
clubs that schedule activities in the mall. Unfortunately, business in the mall
has still been slow, and with the nearby area slowly declining, many believe
that Universal Mall will never be able to be competitive with the larger
shopping centers nearby again.
Links
Wikipedia Entry - Wikipedia page on Universal Mall
Have information on 
Check out Deadmalls.com's Dead Malls Media archive!
John R’s Commentary:
User submitted Nov 2012Wanted to make a correction to the story submitted about Universal Mall in Warren, MI. It states that Oakland & Macomb Malls opened, nearby, in the 70s. This is incorrect. Macomb Mall opened in 1964 and Oakland Mall opened in 1965.
Glenn Hickey’s Commentary:
User submitted May 2008Universal Mall is slated for demolition. I visited last week, and the last of the few tenants are beginning the process of liquidating their inventory.
Value City closed their store after the 2007 holiday season, leaving AJ Wright, Burlington Coat Factory, & the discount Movie Theatres as the final anchors. The rest of the mall is the "deadest of the dead malls" imaginable. There are less than 20 tenants, and the only national chain represented is a lone GNC store adjacent to the shuttered Value City. The Food Court has closed down, save a candy store outside the theatre which allows movie patrons to bypass the in-house concession stand. Surprisingly, a previously vacated video arcade outside the movie theatres recently opened.
Former tenants have recently pooled their abandoned assets (furniture, display cases, props, etc) and mall management has been conducting a weekly liquidation sale, set up in one of the vacant spaces. This is advertised on the exterior mall signage. Local papers report that Burlington Coat Factory and the movie complex have expressed interest in retaining a presence in the re-development, which will include Target. The mall structure will be demolished. Target set up a billboard fronting Dequindre Rd (at the exterior of the former Mervyn's) advertising forthcoming employment opportunities.
Eric Mackey’s Commentary:
User submitted Jul 2007There was a topic on detroityes.com that stated that universal mall would be closing in 2008 and torn down to make way for a strip mall. I could not find the article, however.. We shall see how things pan out; it took them 3 years to tear down Wonderland after saying that in 2003.
Courtney Jones’s Commentary:
User submitted May 2007http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=3331225&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
Universal Mall Could be Demolished by Next Spring
Last Edited: Monday, 28 May 2007, 9:51 AM EDT
Created: Monday, 28 May 2007, 9:49 AM EDT
The Universal Mall in Warren could be demolished as early as next Spring. The 42-year-old structure at Dequindre and 12 Mile Road has been plagued in recent years by empty storefronts.
If the state approves a proposed Brownfield plan, the site will receive local government financing to build a new commercial center.
Officials said all current shopping areas would be demolished to build 400,00 square feet of new retail space. Only the cinema city buiding would remain.
Bobby’s Commentary:
User submitted Nov 2006Hello, I thought I would let you know that the person who submitted the Universal Mall merely copy-pasted from Wikipedia. I wrote the Wikipedia page myself. Please, at the very least, give me (TenPoundHammer) credit. Thank you.