Westland Shopping Center is an enclosed regional mall in Westland, Wayne County, in southeast Michigan's Detroit-area suburbs. Opened in 1965, it named the city and remains a long-running shopping complex.
It stands at Warren Road and Wayne Road, a well-traveled crossroads in Westland. The site was built with enclosed concourses, parking fields, and department store anchors linked by interior corridors.
The mall serves Westland and nearby suburbs as a regional shopping center. Its tenants have included Hudson's, JCPenney, Kohl's, Sears, Kroger, S.S. Kresge, Olga's Kitchen, and smaller inline retail stores.
It opened in July 1965 on 66 acres with 44 stores and a four-level Hudson's. After subsequent anchor reconfigurations and closures, the mall stays open with JCPenney and Kohl's today.
Westland Shopping Center is built, opens, and gives Westland its name
July 1963 marked the start of construction on an enclosed shopping mall built by the J.L. Hudson Corporation at Warren and Wayne roads in Nankin Township, Michigan.
The company had already established a network of malls throughout the Detroit suburbs and picked this 66-acre site to serve a growing population nearby.
Victor Gruen Associates, together with Louis G. Redstone Associates, designed the center with a modern enclosed format that allowed people to shop throughout the year.
The mall opened in July 1965 as Westland Shopping Center, launching with 44 stores.
A four-level Hudson's department store served as the main anchor, joined by tenants such as Kroger and S.S. Kresge.
Inside, terrazzo flooring ran through the concourses, and a mezzanine level overlooked the main floor.
Wide hallways connected the anchor store to smaller shops. Parking lots surrounded the building and handled steady traffic from surrounding areas.
The center quickly became important to the community. On May 16, 1966, residents voted to turn Nankin Township into the City of Westland, taking the name from the mall.
At that point, the Hudson's store rose above the rest of the complex and stood as both the main shopping destination and the landmark that gave the city its name.
JCPenney arrives as Westland expands, and a third anchor is planned
On October 6, 1976, Westland Shopping Center opened a new two-level JCPenney department store at the end of a new west wing connected to the existing Hudson's.
Together, the two stores became the mall's main anchors. The addition extended the enclosed concourse, with new shop spaces placed along the walkway between the two anchors.
This changed how people moved through the mall, as shoppers now followed a longer indoor route connecting both large stores.
By the mid-1970s, tenants were already opening in this new section. The new wing included shop spaces along the corridor from JCPenney toward the main part of the mall.
By the end of this period, both Hudson's and JCPenney were open and operating, and the enclosed mall was active around them.
Later, a different department store concept was prepared to open in 1987, adding a third anchor and moving the mall into its next phase.
MainStreet opens, then becomes Kohl's
A new main store joined in 1987 when MainStreet opened. The Illinois company, part of Federated Department Stores, offered a mid-level department store aimed at families and working shoppers.
Its opening completed the plan for three main stores, increasing rentable space and local strength. MainStreet's stay was short.
Within two years, Federated sold the chain to Kohl's, which changed the store in 1989. When this happened, Kohl's appeared here for the first time.
Suddenly, the store name changed, the layout shifted, and the products on the shelves were new. Shoppers saw little difference.
The aisles stayed the same, but behind the scenes, Westland Shopping Center became part of a growing national brand.
During this brief but busy time, leasing and product selection adjusted around the new main store. Mall traffic changed to include Kohl's in the usual route between Hudson's and JCPenney.
Food and clothing stores benefited from the wider appeal, keeping the mall full through the late 1980s.
This mix of stores prepared Westland Shopping Center for its next big step, a larger building project planned for the next decade to finally add the long-awaited fourth main store.
Sears is proposed, delayed, and finally opens at Westland
Plans for a fourth department store surfaced in 1991, when Sears expressed interest in building at the mall.
Progress on the project was slow, bogged down in design and review stages, and then it went quiet for several years before work resumed later in the decade.
On October 25, 1997, Sears opened a full-line store, its first new Metro Detroit location in over twenty years, offering clothing, appliances, tools, and an adjoining auto center.
Its addition created a complete four-anchor configuration for the first time in Westland Shopping Center's history.
Construction work extended to the parking areas, landscaping, utilities, and other site work.
The opening strengthened the property's regional position and marked the final phase of its original buildout plan.
By the close of the 1990s, not a space was empty. JCPenney held one end, Kohl's the other, with Hudson's and Sears between.
Seasonal events and promotions reflected the larger anchor mix, and the center continued to draw strong retail traffic.
The next shift would come not from construction, but from corporate changes within the department store industry that would bring a series of rebrandings and a major interior update.
Brand swaps, ownership changes, and a 2014 refresh
Hudson's at Westland Shopping Center changed over to Marshall Field's in 2001 as part of a company-wide rebrand. The structure stayed in place, but the interior and signage were updated.
In 2006, the same store became Macy's, keeping a department store active while shifting the mall toward a more national identity.
Ownership shifted as well. Gregory Greenfield & Associates bought the property in 2003, and Trademark Property Company took over in 2010.
After that purchase, plans moved ahead for a renovation to address aging interiors and improve key storefronts.
Work began in 2014, adding updated lighting, refinished surfaces, and a new color scheme.
During the project, some tenants moved or rebuilt their spaces. Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret expanded, and new stores opened, including Ulta Beauty, Shoe Carnival, and Charming Charlie.
The renovation wrapped up as the mall marked its 50th anniversary in 2015 with events and local promotions.
At that time, the center was nearly fully occupied with four working anchors and a stable group of national retailers.
Not long after, wider changes in the department store industry began to affect the mall.
Macy's and Sears leave Westland, leaving two anchors
In January 2017, Macy's said it would close its Westland store as part of cutting back across the country. The store held clearance sales through winter and closed on March 19, 2017.
This ended the use of the original Hudson's space for the first time since 1965, leaving JCPenney, Sears, and Kohl's as the main stores.
Four years later, another change happened. Sears said in June 2021 that its Westland Shopping Center store would close by the end of summer.
This left a large empty main store space and shifted much of the mall's focus to the two remaining main stores.
During this time, the mall was owned by Namdar Realty Group and Mason Asset Management, who bought it in late 2016.
They kept up the shared areas and leasing while looking for new tenants to fill empty spots.
By the end of 2021, Westland Shopping Center was still open with JCPenney and Kohl's running and a smaller group of specialty shops inside.
The next phase would focus on improving the area around the mall with public investment.
Nearby park breaks ground; present updates
Olga's Kitchen closed for good at Westland Shopping Center on January 28, 2024, ending a presence that stretched across decades.
It had been one of the mall's longest-standing food court tenants. The mall itself stayed open, anchored by JCPenney and Kohl's, with a smaller mix of stores.
By August 13, 2024, attention had moved outside. Construction started on Nankin Square, a 3.9-acre public park along Nankin Boulevard near Warren Road, set between City Hall and the shopping center.
Crews cleared the land and began grading it for walking paths, open grassy areas, and a performance space. The city set a target opening of September 2025.
By 2024, the project's funding had been confirmed. It includes tax increment financing along with support from county and state sources.
As of 2025, Westland Shopping Center continues operating with its anchors and more than 60 stores, while nearby construction ties into the city's ongoing redevelopment plans.
