From selling dresses and dishes to dumbbells and healthy drinks.
That’s what is being planned for the former Carson’s store, which departed five years ago as an anchor tenant at the Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township.
Mall officials Friday announced Powerhouse Gym is working to renovate and convert the empty department store into a two-story 120,000-square-foot gym. Scheduled to open in early 2025, it will be the largest Powerhouse gym in the world, according to a news release.
Officials say the development will bring sorely-needed foot traffic into the mall, fill a hole in the struggling shopping center that has sat mostly vacant since Carson’s left in 2018, and offer another option in the highly-competitive fitness marketplace.
“The retail landscape has changed over the years and the Mall at Partridge Creek continues to evolve to meet the lifestyle and preferences of our customers,” Melissa Morang, the mall’s general manager, said in an email.
“Bringing the Powerhouse Gym to our center will provide a truly unique experience for our guests. It was important to us to find the right anchor tenant that would enhance the experience at Partridge Creek and benefit existing tenants.”
Michigan-based Powerhouse Gym expects to invest about $11 million into interior renovations at the space and focus on providing a variety of fitness services to its members, according William Dabish, co-founder of fitness facility chain. Currently, crews are working to dig out a hole to accommodate a swimming pool.
The addition of Powerhouse at the open-air mall on Hall Road (M-59) leaves it with one remaining anchor store vacancy in the former Nordstrom location. The company decided in June 2019 not to extend its lease as a number of well-known department store retailers found their brick-and-mortar formats being infringed on by digital retailers.
Mall officials say they have several companies interested in the Nordstrom space, including potential retail and non-retail occupants.
The new health center fits the mall’s mission as a lifestyle center, officials said.
Like many shopping malls, Partridge Creek encountered financial difficulties in recent years and is in receivership. It is now under the management of the Spinoso Real Estate Group.
In the past few months, Partridge Creek has announced new tenants including Kids Empire, Windsor and JD Sports, to go along with established attractions such as Apple, MJR Cinema and P.F. Chang’s eatery.
Spinoso CEOCarmen Spinoso said Partridge Creek “continues to bring on new spaces and experiences” as it moves forward.
Clinton Township Supervisor Robert Cannon said he was excited to learn about the new Powerhouse and its potential infusion of foot traffic to the site by gym-goers who may stop at one of the center’s shops or restaurants.
“This is huge,” Cannon said. “It will bring a lot of people into the mall.”
Dabish stated the mall’s financial troubles resulted in a more inviting price for acquiring the property. That, along with other factors such as a desire for a larger, more visible gym location, fed into the equation.
The price was not disclosed.
Dabish said his son, Victor, is spearheading the Carson’s project.
“This location gives us a chance to bring a lot of eyeballs to the services we can provide,” Dabish said Saturday.
Dabish feels the new gym will present increased business opportunities. When Powerhouse opened at Novi’s Fountain Walk entertainment complex, they found a nearly full roster almost every day. The fitness center now attracts 2,000 people daily, company officials say.
Larger showers
The Partridge Creek gym will include:
- Swimming pool
- Basketball court
- State-of-the-art fitness equipment including the largest free weight area in the country
- A spin room with nightclub-style lighting
- Dry sauna
- Track
- Massage rooms
- Personal trainers
- Fitness classes for all ages
- A private area for women to work out in
- It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provide additional exterior lighting in evening hours for security purposes.
The club also will unveil a new recovery and wellness area that will offer members a place to benefit from the muscle recovery and holistic wellness techniques.
“We try to put ourselves in our members’ shoes to imagine what amenities they would want,” said Dabish, who resides in Farmington Hills. “For example, we will have oversized showers to make it more comfortable to relax in.”
Powerhouse Gym will launch a youth fitness program at the new location to help kids fight obesity. The initiative seeks to combine physical activity, nutrition and overall well-being in the next generation.
Powerhouse Gym has about 400 locations around the world, most of them franchise facilities. The future Powerhouse at Partridge Creek would be about the 30th corporate-owned location.
Dabish said company officials are in talks with the owner of an existing Powerhouse on Heydenreich at Hall roads a few blocks away.
For more information on The Mall at Partridge Creek and its 80-plus other stores, visit shoppartridgecreek.com.
