Developers of the Lansing area’s newest mall, Eastwood Towne Center, will try to capture the interest of MSU students through a spirited campaign.
Spartan spirit, that is.
Eastwood Towne Center, a mall that has been 15 years in the making, will complete the trifecta of Lansing-area shopping malls starting Sept. 12, with a Spartan-themed grand opening event at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20.
Eastwood is located at the corner of U.S. 127 and Lake Lansing Road in Lansing Township.
“We’re offering something up the road that people will enjoy,” said Mark Fallon, director of real estate for Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate - the mall’s developer. “Malls are kind of antiquated, so we’re putting it in a more fun area. It’s about lifestyle and it’s fun, too.”
Seventy-five stores are expected to open Sept. 12 with another five stores joining the lineup later.
Some businesses new to the area include Pottery Barn, Forever 21 and Banana Republic. Familiar faces such as Gap, Victoria’s Secret and Aéropostale will join the new kids on the block.
A 70,000-square-foot movie theater and a Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart and Dick’s Sporting Goods also will be at the mall or near it.
During the grand opening, bands will be entertaining mallgoers and free food will be provided by mall eateries. Developers also will hold a pep rally for the MSU-Notre Dame game that weekend.
Developers also are hoping a new bus service connecting MSU to the mall will be in service by Sept. 12.
The idea for the mall began 15 years ago when real-estate owner Mike Eyde started buying property in the township.
It wasn’t until two years ago that plans started to form for a new shopping center.
“I knew it was going to happen soon enough,” Lansing Township Supervisor John Daher said.
“The real estate is an ideal place.”
Daher said he is uncertain how the mall will fare in relation to the other area malls, but believes the futures of all area shops are up in the air.
“There are winners and losers when new malls move in,” Daher said.
“New stores can always take business away from old stores, but I don’t know how they will fare.”
Fallon agrees and said the new complex will cater to MSU students, General Motors employees and state government employees.
“I try to be nice to everybody,” he said, referring to local competition.
“But the bigger they are, the harder they fall. It’s just like how’s MSU’s going to be with Notre Dame - we’ll beat them.”
Lansing Mall general manager Rodney Fairborn said he welcomes the competition and believes the stores unique to Eastwood might result in more locations, possibly at Meridian and Lansing malls.
“The area’s growing substantially, there’s room for everybody,” Fairborn said. “There’s no ‘Oh my God’ feeling.
“It’s northerly located and it’s an open-air shopping center, which is different from Lansing Mall.
Michigan weather does not lend itself to five months of open-air shopping.”
