Remember that parade of elephants? That’s how the Lincoln Park Shopping Center celebrated its grand opening in 1957. Right here on this very spot stood one of the first large-scale strip malls in the Downriver Detroit suburbs. Imagine the excitement. The Lincoln Park Shopping Center wasn’t just a place to shop it was a community hub.
The Sears store opened a year earlier in 1956. It quickly became a local landmark. In fact during the 1960s it was the highest-grossing Sears store in the entire chain. Its success was such that they even expanded the Auto Center. This made the Lincoln Park Shopping Center location one of the largest Sears in the country. The Lincoln Park Shopping Center boasted more than just Sears. A Kroger supermarket joined the lineup soon after. Kresge and Cunningham drug store were also original tenants.
The 1980s brought renovations and new stores. Dunham’s Sports Pier 1 Imports and Winkelman’s ladies apparel opened their doors. Even a movie theater Jack Loeks Star Theatres Lincoln Park 8 added to the entertainment. This revitalization attracted more customers. The Lincoln Park Shopping Center thrived for many years.
But times changed. In 2005 the Fairlane Green shopping center opened. Many tenants moved to this newer location. Retail bankruptcies during the Great Recession further impacted the center. Stores closed one by one. The Lincoln Park Shopping Center struggled to stay afloat. In 2019 even the giant Sears closed its doors. It marked the end of an era. A chapter closed in the story of Lincoln Park Shopping Center. Today only remnants stand as a testament to its once bustling past. The elephants may be gone but their memory lives on.