REI outfitters to open Ann Arbor store in spring

[DetroitMan]

Looks like Cranbrook Village is really trying to remake itself.

http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/20...en_ann_arb.html

[tracer1138]

Ann Arbor's market never ceases to amaze me. Even in economic downturns stores are moving in, condos being built and sold, development companies revamping and renovating old properties...etc.

Yet still it drives me crazy that cities like Kalamazoo (my hometown) fight things like density tooth and nail. They recently widened Michigan Ave. west of campus converting what had the potential to be a walkable neighborhood with high density student housing into a suburban strip mall nightmare. These people just don't get - when people talk about how awesome cities like London, New York or San Francisco are, you never hear them say "wow, New York, their roads were so nice and wide and paved with fresh asphalt... I want to move there".

Anyway, I'll be checking this place out when they open for sure.

[wolverine]

I've been to the REI in troy and liked it. Nice to see that mall getting a face lift. The first signs came with redoing the parking lot.

[nofunk]

I'm excited to see this (strip) mall redeveloped, but I'll be curious to see how successful it is. I can't imagine companies like Whole Foods and REI going into a place that isn't a sure thing, but at the same time, other businesses have gone in there and failed. Not sure why, but it doesn't seem to be a prime location.

[mgman]

I'm excited to see this (strip) mall redeveloped, but I'll be curious to see how successful it is. I can't imagine companies like Whole Foods and REI going into a place that isn't a sure thing, but at the same time, other businesses have gone in there and failed. Not sure why, but it doesn't seem to be a prime location.

[wolverine]

Despite the mall and several strip retail, all of Eisenhower Blvd never struck me as a commercial corridor, which it definitely is. Landscaping is definitely the dominate feature. I wonder what retailers think of that. I don't think advertising is allowed at the street if I recall.