Southgate Shopping Center, Southgate, MI

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The Southgate Shopping Center is located at the corner of Eureka and Trenton Roads in Southgate, Michigan. Completed by 1958, it was-and still is-one of the largest strip malls in the southern Detroit suburbs. It was initially thriving, but once Southland Center opened in 1970, it started a slow decline a few years later.

History:
A Wrigley's supermarket came first in September 1957. A Federal department store opened the following month in a separate 80,000 sq. ft. building next to the center building. It officially opened on October 16, 1957. Other original tenants included the Woolworth and Kresge dime stores and the well-known local clothier Winkelman's. There was also a water tower behind Federal's.

The two wings of the L-shaped structure were joined in 1958 with the construction of the complex's anchor tenant, Montgomery Ward, which opened in February 1959 with the main 133,000 sq. ft. structure and a separate auto shop along Eureka Road.

Wrigley's later became Packer Foods, then Great Scott and ultimately F&M. Federal's became Service Merchandise by 1978.

By the early 1980's, the complex began dying, partially as a result of the early 1980's recession. Kresge closed in 1984 and was replaced by Tri-State Furniture. That spot was later Old Country Buffet until January 18, 2012 and is now All American Buffet. In 1989, the complex underwent it's most recent remodeling project, which added the familiar red-and-white canopies. In late 1992, Taco Bell and Applebee's opened on Eureka Road. In early 1996, seven storefronts were demolished for a Farmer Jack supermarket.

The complex began dying again in the late 1990's after a brief revival. Woolworth shut down with the chain in 1997 and that location became Discovery Zone until that chain closed down in 1999, then Sears Hardware until September 2006 and today is Planet Fitness. However, there was one high point-the MJR Digital Cinemas Southgate Digital Cinema 20 opened on November 6, 1998. Montgomery Ward and Service Merchandise continued to hold on until their respective demises in 2000 and 2002. The Service Merchandise building came down in 2004, the water tower in 2005. The Montgomery Ward building, though, remained vacant until it was finally torn down for a park in 2012. Another high point was the opening of Chili's and Old Chicago on Trenton Road in late 2006 and late 2007 respectively. The complex became anchorless when the Farmer Jack store was shuttered (along with the rest of the chain) in July 2007.

Current Tenants:
-East Structure-

• Aaron's
• Anime to Skateboards
• Planet Fitness
• Better Health Cafe

-South Structure-

• Bath & Body Works
• GNC
• H&R Block
• All American Buffet
• Downriver Gymnastics

-North Structure (built 1989)-

• Jenny Craig
• Vacant spot (previously Anime to Skateboards)
• Another vacant spot (originally Waldenbooks, later Borders Express until 2011, then Ukazoo Books until 2013)

-Old Montgomery Ward Auto Center Structure-

• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Vacant spot (was Panera Bread until November 2, 2014, relocated to Taylor)

-Separate Outlot Structures-

• CVS Pharmacy (1998)
• Applebee's (1992)
• Taco Bell (1992)
• Chili's (2006)
• Old Chicago (2007)
• MJR Digital Cinemas Southgate Digital Cinema 20 (1998)

Pictures:

The Eureka Road sign in 2006. Not my photo.


Looking east towards the Montgomery Ward site in 2015.


East Structure, 2015


A long-vacant dollar store space in the South Structure in 2015. Prior to it's tenure as a dollar store, it was a Harmony House record store (as easily indicated by the interior color scheme).

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A visual tour of what the Southgate Shopping Center looks like today. Photos taken by Google in July 2015.

CVS Pharmacy, which opened in 1998. This replaced most of the space that was once F&M Distributors and before that several supermarkets.


The rest of that space is now Aaron's. Beyond that up to Planet Fitness are a vacant storefront (last occupied by an Armed Forces recruitment office that moved to Wyandotte), another vacant storefront (last occupied by a cash-checking place) and Anime to Skateboards (which was previously Once Upon A Child).


Planet Fitness, originally Woolworth, later Discovery Zone and Sears Hardware.


Better Health Cafe. The remainder of the structure heading south is all vacant storefronts-most recently Val's House of Hair, Sears Optical, Hallmark Gold Crown and MIGUN Lifestyles respectively.


Market Center Park, recently opened on the former Montgomery Ward site.


Bath & Body Works, a former Rainbow, a former dollar store, GNC, H&R Block, a former Fashion Bug and All American Buffet (previously Kresge, Tri-State Furniture, Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet and finally back to OCB).


Downriver Gymnastics occupies most of the structure vacated by Farmer Jack in 2007. This was built in 1997.


The former Montgomery Ward Auto Center, now subdivided between a Buffalo Wild Wings and a former Panera Bread, which left for Taylor in 2014.


The 1989 addition. The former Ukazoo Books space (originally Waldenbooks, later Borders Express) is now serving it's second consecutive Halloween season as Spirit Halloween.