Rogers Plaza
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Rogers Plaza (sometimes called Rogers Plaza Town Center) is an enclosed shopping mall located in Wyoming, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids. The mall is located on 28th St. SW, a half-mile west of US-131.
[edit] History
Rogers Plaza opened in 1960, featuring Montgomery Ward, Kroger, and S.S. Kresge as its anchor stores, with about 40 other stores rounding out the tenant roster. It was the first shopping mall in the Grand Rapids area.[1] Turn Style was added as an eastern anchor store in 1972[2]; after the demise of the Turn Style chain, this store was converted to Rogers Catalog Showroom, and then to Best Products. Kroger and Kresge closed in the 1980s; the former Kroger is now MC Sports. Best Products closed in the mid 1990s; shortly after Best left, half of the old store was converted to Big Lots.
Montgomery Ward closed in 2001. As the long-standing anchor store closed, mall traffic started to dwindle. Tenants such as Fashion Bug, McDonald's, Kay-Bee Toys, and Hallmark left, leaving the mall's west wing mostly vacant. A 2002 renovation saw the addition of carpeted hallways, and various other touch-ups. In 2005, the former Wards was torn down for A.J. Wright and Family Fare Supermarket.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Gantos-Inc-Company-History.html
- ^ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/remembering_retail/message/15493
[edit] External links
- 1960s era postcard of mall on Malls of America blog
- Another 1960s era postcard of mall on Malls of America blog
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