Jackson Crossing, formerly Paka Plaza, is one of two enclosed

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

s serving the city of

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

in the United States. It opened in 1960 and has been renovated in the 2000s.

Anchor store In retail, an "anchor tenant", sometimes called an "anchor store", "draw tenant", or "key tenant", is a considerably larger tenant in a shopping mall, often a department store or retail chain. They are typically located at the ends of malls. Wit ...

s include

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

, Kohl's,

Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...

, and TJ Maxx.

History

Paka Plaza opened in 1961 as an outdoor center with 34 stores. Original tenants included Kroger,

W. T. Grant W. T. Grant or Grants was a United States-based chain of mass-merchandise stores founded by William Thomas Grant that operated from 1906 until 1976. The stores were generally of the variety store format located in downtowns. History In 1906 the ...

, and Woolworth. Phar-Mor was an original anchor store following renovations. Sears opened a department store at the mall five years later, relocating from downtown Jackson. In 1973, following the opening of Westwood Mall, Paka Plaza was enclosed.

Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust RPT Realty, formerly known as RAMCO Properties Trust and Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust, is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns and operates open-air shopping centers. As of August 4, 2021, the company owned 50 shopping ...

bought the mall from its original developers, Weatherwax Investments, in 1990 and renamed it to Jackson Crossing. The center was also expanded again, adding further enclosed portions along with

and Kohl's. Bed Bath & Beyond joined in 2002 and TJ Maxx in 2005. Jackson Crossing has had an increase in vacancies, with 15 vacant storefronts in late 2010. Citi Trends opened at the mall late in the year. In 2015,

Sears Holdings Sears Holdings Corporation was an American holding company headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. It was the parent company of the chain stores Kmart and Sears and was founded after the former purchased the latter in 2005. It was the 20th-l ...

spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Jackson Crossing, into Seritage Growth Properties.

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...

and Panera Bread are also on the Seritage site. In 2016,

MC Sports MC Sports was an American retail sporting goods chain. Founded in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1946, the chain operated 75 stores in the Midwestern United States before permanently closing in 2017 after filing for bankruptcy. History MC Sports beg ...

moved from its existing store in the mall to a larger location. MC Sports went out of business in 2017, followed by longtime tenant

Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loc ...

in 2018. On August 22, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide. The store closed in November 2018. After the store closed,

Kohl’s Kohl's (stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain, operated by Kohl's Corporation. it is the largest department store chain in the United States, with 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Hawa ...

, TJ Maxx and Bed Bath & Beyond were the remaining anchors left. Also in November, Namdar Realty Group acquired Jackson Crossing. On March 25, 2019, Dunham's Sports signed a lease for the former Toys "R" Us. On October 12, 2019, Dunham’s Sports officially opened in the mall. Grand opening sales started on October 18. In June 2021, Hobby Lobby will open a 57,000 square-foot store in part of the former Sears.

References

{{Shopping malls in Michigan Jackson, Michigan Shopping malls in Michigan Shopping malls established in 1961 Buildings and structures in Jackson County, Michigan Namdar Realty Group