A bit of sad news today as I found out Livonia Mall is in the middle of being torn down.  I remember my parents taking me to Livonia Mall as a child to enjoy koney dogs and Greek salads, and play the arcade games at the cinema.  I also remember visiting the pet store, K-B Toys, and B. Dalton’s bookstore along with buying new gym shoes at the Foot Locker and being dragged into Jo-Ann Fabrics by my mom.  And after my family moved to Livonia, I used to take the bus from the mall to visit my friends back in Detroit (before I had a car to drive.)

It’s a shame the mall is no longer standing, although I guess it’s been what people call a “dead mall” for some time now.  The mall originally opened in 1962.  The main anchor stores were Crowley’s and Sears, with Mervyn’s and Children’s Palace being added at a later time.

What I didn’t realize was that Children’s Palace closed three years later and was converted to a paintball arena, Crowley’s converted to a Value City in 2000 (which closed in 2008), and Mervyn’s closed in 2006.  So with Sears, Dollar Tree, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and Foot Locker being the only mainstream stores in the mall, I can see how it died off.

It looks like there’s some redevelopment in the future though, as the Livonia City Council is discussing a strip mall called Livonia Marketplace to be erected after the demolition.  Word has it that long-time tenant Jo-Ann Fabrics will close permanently in July 2009.

If anyone is interested, I found some demolition footage of the mall on YouTube here and here.