Big Anchor Store Closing at Courtland Center Mall in Burton, MI

Sad news has developed over the last few days... another store is closing at Courtland Center Mall in Burton, MI.

What store is closing at Courtland Center now?

One of the outside "anchor" stores will be closing on June 9th, according to MLive. This, after Staples made a (another) $2.1B dollar offer to buy rival Office Depot/Office Max in 2021. Office Depot declined. By the way, Staples tried something similar in 2016, but antitrust laws did not allow it. Staples will have a store remaining in Grand Blanc, MI

Related: Bed Bath & Beyond Closes Flint, Saginaw Stores.

Many businesses have left the area around Courtland Center.

Driving Court Street through Burton, you immediately notice all of the vacant retail space behind Applebee's, near Home Depot in The Courtyard. Back in the day there was a Hill's and VGs as major tenants, too. Starlite Diner opened another location in the former Boston Market (which closed around 2008).

Across the street from the Courtyard, Lowe's closed its store (and Flint) in 2019.

This leaves a major vacancy in the anchors of Courtland Center. Dunham's Sports and JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts are still operating near the Staples store. Bath & Body Works, El Cozumel, Planet Fitness and JCPenney remain at Courtland Center, too.

What is Burton, MI doing to help Courtland Center?

People shop differently. What does that mean for all the retail space in our local malls? These malls don't have to become abandon blight. My hope is the city of Burton has a few creative plans up its sleeve to revive such an important part of the local economy. After all, the city doesn't have a discernable Downtown to fall back upon.