TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Mario Kiezi, owner of Oakland Mall, is looking to turn the anticipated closure of the Macy's store at his mall into an opportunity for smaller, more eccentric businesses to shine.
"It gives me the opportunity to try it, not just talk about it, but be about it," Jim Bennington, who owns the virtual reality shooting lounge Varcade PvP Arena., told 7 News Detroit reporter Carli Petrus Friday.
On Thursday, Macy's Inc. confirmed the closure of 66 of its stores across the country, including four of its locations in Michigan.
In addition to the Macy's store at Oakland Mall, the other location set to close in 2025 is in Sterling Heights at Lakeside Mall.
The company acknowledges that consumers have "endless options" when it comes to where and how they shop.
“Closing any store is never easy, but as part of our Bold New Chapter strategy, we are closing underproductive Macy’s stores to allow us to focus our resources and prioritize investments in our go-forward stores, where customers are already responding positively to better product offerings and elevated service,” said Tony Spring, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Macy’s, Inc.
But Kiezi is banking on a variety of unique stores and experiences to bring people back, including places like Varcade PvP Arena.
"The Oakland Mall is an institution in the county, in the state, as a shining example of how we used to build big malls," said Bennington, who owns the virtual reality shooting lounge. "Now we can take that same infrastructure and turn it inside, deconstruct it, put it right back together, and keep it relevant in the community."
