ROGERS PLAZA
28th Street Southwest (US 16) and Michael Avenue Southwest
Wyoming, Michigan
The first fully-enclosed, regional-class shopping mall in Michigan was built on a 32-acre parcel. This was located 3.5 miles southwest of downtown Grand Rapids, in the suburb of Wyoming. Plans for an open-air, strip-type complex were underway by 1956. By the time construction began in 1960, the complex was being built as an enclosed, climate-controlled facility.
ROGERS PLAZA was developed by a joint venture of Pioneer Shopping Center, Incorporated, the Miller-Davis Construction Company and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Minnesota's Willard Thorsen designed the complex. When fully-realized, it encompassed approximately 334,100 leasable square feet.
A formal grand opening -with twenty-four stores- was held on August 3, 1961. Attending the dedication ceremony were Russel P. Bygel (Vice-president of Montgomery Ward), Charles G. Markley (manager of the ROGERS PLAZA Montgomery Ward) and Karen Southway, "Miss Michigan 1961".
The mall was anchored by a 2-level (150,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward. When fully-leased, it contained thirty-five stores and services. Among these were Cunningham Drug, Dodgson Beauty Salon, Kirby's Shoes, an S.S. Kresge 5 & 10, W.T. Grant variety store, Kroger supermarket and S & H Green Stamps Redemption Center.
The first retail rival opened for business in 1963. BRETON VILLAGE CENTER {4 miles east, in Grand Rapids} was a fully-enclosed, community-sized complex. It was followed by two regional-class centers. EASTBROOK MALL {5.1 miles east, in Grand Rapids} opened in 1967. WOODLAND MALL, located adjacent to (and west of) EASTBROOK, was completed in 1968.
By the late 1960s, ROGERS PLAZA was experiencing financial difficulties. It was thought that the addition of a second anchor store, on the east end of the complex, would improve the fortunes of the shopping center. Plans were drawn for a new Chicago-based Turn*Style Family Center discount department store.
The Kresge Company, who viewed the potential Turn*Style as a competitor, filed suit. The case was decided -against the Kresge Company- in mid-1970. A 1-level (98,800 square foot) Turn*Style opened in 1971. ROGERS PLAZA now encompassed 432,900 leasable square feet. Kresge's shuttered their ROGERS PLAZA store in protest.
Turn*Style went dark in early 1978, with its space being subdivided. The largest section was configured as a (55,900 square foot), Grand Rapids-based Rogers Catalog Showroom. The western portion of the old Turn*Style was rebuilt into several inline store spaces.
The Rogers chain was acquired by Richmond, Virginia-based Best Products in 1982. In 1985, they rebranded all Rogers locations as Best Products stores. This chain went bankrupt in 1997. Its ROGERS PLAZA space was sectioned into four new stores, with the largest being a (28,000 square foot), Columbus, Ohio-based Big Lots.
In August 2001, ROGERS PLAZA was owned by Hartford, Connecticut-based Hutensky Capital Partners. They started a major mall renovation. Montgomery Ward, the west anchor, had been vacant since March. The building was demolished and replaced by a (25,100 square foot) A.J. Wright Family Apparel and (53,400 square foot) Family Fare supermarket.
The 6.4 million dollar refurbishment added new storefronts and canopies for the north-facing front of the mall, with the interior mallway being spruced-up, as well. The renewed retail center, now officially known as ROGERS PLAZA TOWN CENTER, was dedicated on October 31, 2002. The complex encompassed approximately 325,700 leasable square feet.
Chicago-based WexTrust Capital bought the shopping center in December 2004. The company was soon embroiled in a pyramid investment scandal, with ROGERS PLAZA TOWN CENTER in foreclosure by early 2009. It was acquired by San Antonio's Sun Valley Limited in June 2012. Sun Valley Limited merged with another San Antonio-based company in 2022. Spigal Properties became the mall's new owner.
The mall's Family Fare supermarket shut down in June 2019 and was proceeded by Auto Zone and Charney Commercial. A.J. Wright went dark in February 2011 and was immediately followed by C.W. Price. This store shut down in August of the same year. Ross Dress For Less set up shop in the old A.J. Wright-C.W. Price space on July 15, 2023. Stores in operation at this time included Planet Fitness, Harbor Freight Tools and Ollie's Bargain Outlet.
Sources:
The Holland Evening Sentinel (Holland, Michigan)
The News-Palladium (Benton Harbor, Michigan)
The Grand Rapids Business Journal
The Wyoming Advocate (Wyoming, Michigan)
https://www.cbre.com / CB Richard Ellis
http://boumaconstruct.portfoliocms.com
https://www.mlive.com
http://muse.jhu.edu
"Rogers Plaza" and "Best Products" articles on Wikipedia