More importantly, what would we like to see go in there?

What The Westwood Mall Means To Me

Growing up in Jackson, the Westwood Mall was THE place to be whether it was shopping with your mom, friends, back-to-school or just to roam around.

From when it was built in 1972 and throughout my adolescence, there was something that felt so special about Westwood Mall.

It had all of the "hip" stores and every time you went with friends it was almost mandatory to stop and take pictures in the big mirrored wall by Applebees.

Now, we have seen so many stores come and go, that the Jackson Crossing Mall is where I, admittedly, frequent most. However, there is so much nostalgia and great memories engrained in the Westwood Mall.

Every time I stop in there and see stores that once held regular stops like Aeropostale, Victoria's Secret, Younkers (Elder Beerman for the real ones) and more just sitting completely empty wishing for the mall to get that breath of fresh air its been needing.

Could New Owners Revive Westwood Mall?

MLive, citing the Jackson County Register of Deeds, reports that Kohan Retail Investment Group (KRIG) purchased Westwood Mall earlier this year, adding it to their 40 other mall properties. Those properties include multiple Michigan malls, like the Lansing Mall which they also acquired within the past year.

KRIG's focus for all their properties is simple, "revitalizing aging malls," reports MLive.

As far as Westwood Mall goes, KRIG's senior leasing director, Nina Becker tells MLive they want to make it more well-rounded with service, entertainment, maximized "green space," renewing leases with existing retailers and bringing in new ones.

New Retailers To Jackson?

While MLive says, "KRIG is still in the process of signing on new retailers, restaurants and entertainment..." they do plan to keep the community updated through social media.

Do you think that means they are open to suggestions? I sure hope so!

Already, there is a massive space up for grabs in what used to be Younkers. They could hopefully figure out a way to either split that up into more, smaller stores, or bring in a bigger store that could fill the space...like, maybe, Dick's Sporting Goods?

I think the Jackson retail scene could also use more stores that feature more men's clothing. Aside from the department stores and TJ Maxx, there is a bit of a disparity in the amount of clothing options available for men versus for women.

There are just so many possibilities and I really hope KRIG can pull off restoring the Westwood Mall to its former glory. I can't wait to see what they do with it.

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