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Old Posted Nov 11, 2013, 6:36 PM
Crawford Crawford is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NYC/Polanco, DF
Posts: 30,551
Quote:
Originally Posted by hudkina View Post
I don't know what fantasy world you live in, but none of those brands are low-class. They certainly aren't Pottery Barn or Nordstrom, but come on; every middle-class city has these types of shopping centers. If you think that power center is low-end, then 90% of American shopping centers must be low-end to you. The other anchors of Tel-Twelve were Montgomery Ward and Crowley's. Either one was not much better than a J.C. Penny or Kohl's (and honestly before they closed, both brands were in the dumps).
The point is that Tel-Twelve mall failed, and was replaced with a smaller strip center. That's not a good thing for the city. Less tax revenue and crappier retailers isn't a net positive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hudkina View Post
Then I can't imagine you're doing much looking around. Because when I go through the northern half of the city I see a stable, solidly middle-class, well-maintained city with a fairly typical array of retail.
Northern Southfield definitely isn't stable. It's probably changed more rapidly than any other part of Metro Detroit in recent years. It certainly isn't "bad", but if you knew the area 20 years ago, you would notice the decline. Southfield was a very desirable suburb, filled with upper income professionals, and nicer stores. It's now a second tier suburb, and not that desirable to African Americans, and the sales prices on homes reflect this decline.

Also, the retail has declined. Harvard Row shopping center, on 11 near Lahser, which used to look very affluent, has been half-empty for a decade now. Southfield Road has tons of dollar stores, second-hand stores, and the like, where previously it had nicer clothing stores and sit-down restaurants. Applegate Square, on Northwestern Highway, used to almost be like a mini-Somerset, with couture boutiques and the like. Now it's half-empty with crap retail.
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