By the end of the year, at least eight new tenants will open inside the Fairlane Mall.
There has been an effort to renovate the mall since new owners, real estate investment firm Centennial, took over a few months ago.
Ballzy Balls, a sports-themed entertainment venue, and Fix & Gifts, a personalized gift and phone repair retailer, have already opened, while The Coloring Station, a children’s-focused reading and coloring retailer. children; Express Yourself, a body piercing and tattoo expert; Prissy Paw Palace, a retailer of furry baby clothing and accessories; Incredible Burger, a 100% Halal fast food; The Ukiyo store, a Detroit-based draper, will all open in the coming months. Toys “R” Us is also returning to the mall, but will be located inside the Macy’s store.
“We are thrilled to announce the addition of eight new retailers, each carefully selected to meet the diverse needs of our valued shoppers,” said Dan Fayad, General Manager of Fairlane Town Center. “The addition of the beloved Toys’R’Us brand within Macy’s and the range of offerings from the other seven new tenants will make welcome additions to the center that we are sure our customers will embrace.”
It would have been easier for Scott Moore to give up.
When COVID-19 shut down all of the owner’s Ballzy Balls locations — in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Jackson and Okemos — in April 2020, he found himself able to quit or start again.
He chose to start over.
The Fairlane site is the first Ballzy Balls to fully reopen since the pandemic.
“Basically it’s a restart of everything because we had all four and then we shut down and we had to wait so long,” Moore said. “Now we catch our breath.”
In fact, that was the most stressful part, he says. It was the waiting game. Even having all the proper post-pandemic cleaning materials, not knowing when it would receive mall approval left the company in a state of uncertainty.
Moore said a cleaning protocol was not difficult. The only changes needed were for patrons to wear masks when entering the establishment and to lower them while playing.
“It was the perfect sport to not pass on COVID to yourself because you’re alone in a bubble,” Moore said.
For a newcomer wondering what Ballzy Balls is, Moore described it as a sporting activity where participants of all ages step inside a large rubber ball – knocker balls – and various games are played, including football and musical chairs, while trying to hit each other. There are four sizes: one for ages 4+, tweens, adults, and balls for taller and taller people. Typical group sizes are 10 to 15 people, Moore said, but there is no capacity limit at the facility.
Other activities include electric motorbikes for kids 4 and under. Parents can ride with their children on the motorcycles. Drinks are offered after attendees play in the batting balls, and a small section with merchandise, like t-shirts and key rings, is on hand.
The idea came to Moore in 2019. He came across batting balls online, but there was no place around that offered the service and renting them was too expensive. That same year, he opened the first Ballzy Balls location at the Westwood Mall in Jackson. Prior to Ballzy Balls, Moore’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2014 as a party planner and decorator.
Below is an overview of each of the eight new stores.
toys r us
Macy’s will house an in-store Toys”R”Us store in time for the 2022 holiday season. The in-store Toys”R”Us brand will include playful, colorful fixtures as well as hands-on display tables that will give kids and their families a chance to interact with various assortments of toys. Toys”R”Us stores will also be offering a life-size “Geoffrey on a Bench” photo shoot for families.
- 1,900 square feet inside the Macy’s store
- Location: Inside Macy’s (third floor)
- Opening: fall 2022
- More information: http://www.macys.com/toysrus
The coloring station
The coloring station is an interactive concept that allows children to explore their own creativity. With coloring books, children’s books and art supplies for sale, the highlight of The Coloring Station will be a dynamic, studio-like coloring area where children can draw and color with every tool imaginable in sessions. affordable two-hour coloring pages. Children 12 and under can submit their masterpieces of short stories, poetry, art or coloring in monthly on-site contests where they will compete for prizes ranging from $100 to $500. While being entertained by the retailer’s mascot, a “reading dinosaur,” kids can enjoy the cotton candy bar and fairytale queens dressed in authentic royal outfits representing various story genres. The coloring station will also host free weekly storytimes as well as an array of crafts including clay pottery, jewelry making and rock painting.
express yourself
Express Yourself is a fully licensed Michigan-based company that has been providing professional body piercings since 2003. With over 5,000 body jewelry items in stock, Express Yourself offers an extensive selection of body jewelry in 14k gold, titanium, and stainless steel. implant quality. The retailer also offers tattoos, artwork and branded merchandise.
Amazing burger
Incredible Burger is a fast food style restaurant offering 100% Halal gourmet beef burgers made to order.
- 720 square feet
- Location: In the food court
- Opening: fall 2022
- Website coming soon
Prissy Paw Palace
Prissy Paw Palace sells a line of high-quality clothing for fur babies as well as accessories, dog packs, treats, luxury toys and specialty shampoos.
- 1,710 square feet
- Location: Upper level, across from food court
- Opening: fall 2022
- More information: https://prissypawpalace.com/
The Ukiyo Shop
The Ukiyo store offers a selection of high-end clothing for men and women. When it comes to fashion, The Ukiyo Store believes beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but quality should never be a compromise. The store perfectly combines ‘fun’ and ‘functionality’, allowing its customers to focus on looking great, knowing their clothes can withstand wear and tear on even the toughest days.
6,603 square feet
Location: Between Jimmy Jazz and Empire (third floor, near the elevators)
Opening: Now open
More information: https://theukiyostore.com/
Ballzy balls
Ballzy Balls is a sports-themed entertainment activity in which guests climb into a giant rubber ball and then roll or kick each other. They can also participate in fun games including Bubble Soccer and Musical Bubble Chairs. Rubber balls are available in sizes appropriate for ages 4+, tweens, or adults, and include balls sized for taller or taller people. Ballzy Balls can accommodate groups of up to 15 people. The facility, which recently reopened at the center, also offers electric motorcycle rides for children 6 and under. Prices start at $15 for 15 minutes of playtime.
Fixes & Gifts
Fix & Gifts repairs used phones and sells custom phone accessories and phone cases. He also specializes in other personalized gifts, messages and engravings – perfect for hard-to-buy friends and family – including 3D photos or images, silver or stainless steel jewelry and Forever crystal roses.
“When we buy a mall, we’re not just buying to operate it as is,” said Whitney Livingston, president and chief operating officer of Centennial. “We buy to own valuable real estate that we can redevelop into dominant mixed-use destinations, and that’s also the plan we envision for downtown Fairlane.”
Centennial is teaming up with Waterfall Asset Management and Cawley Partners to help manage the property.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said residents support businesses in the city.
“The uniqueness of Dearborn is that we are a community that likes to spend its money in the city,” he said.
Fairlane Mall is a 1.4 million square foot shopping center that opened in 1976.
Fairlane Town Center has been an important part of the Dearborn community for 46 years and is a popular shopping and dining destination for local residents. It is located next to the Henry Hotel and the Fairlane Club and is close to the Detroit Metro Airport, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Henry Ford College, and Ford Motor Co. Headquarters.
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