Memories of Arborland

First a little history: Arborland was constructed as an unenclosed shopping mall around 1960. The mall was enclosed late in the 1970's. By the late 1990's the original structure was demolished and it was rebuilt as a "power center" with multiple anchors, no longer a mall. In whatever shopping format, Arborland has been a landmark in Ann Arbor since it first opened.

I have many fond childhood memories of Arborland as it existed in the early 1970's. One of the anchors was a Montgomery Ward store, which formed the west end of the mall area. In the elbow of the L-shaped shopping center was a smaller Penny's. Back in those days it was really called Penny's and not JCPenny. The area between Montgomery Ward and Penny's was the area containing the open-air mall. There were small shops on the north and south side. The stores on the south side were accessible from both the mall area and the parking lot in front, each of these stores had two entrances. The stores on the north side of the mall area were only accessible to shoppers from the mall. Another strip of stores went straight south from Penny's ending at a Kroger store. These stores were accessible from the parking lot.

I can remember a hardware or drug store in the mall area that had a very noisy fluorescent light in about the middle of the store. It gave off a very annoying and continuous buzzing sound. It was not fixed for a long time, but it is something I remember to this day.

In the very center of the mall area was a small building with a stairwell to the basement bathrooms. I am not sure how far beyond the bathrooms the basement extended, but I do know my Grandfather was contracted to paint the entire basement area when it was first built. I think there was a mailbox or small postal station near the stairs.

Arborland had a toy store. I cannot recall the name of the place, but I do remember spending time in the store. I spent many hours checking out the Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. I also marveled over the entire line of model railroad accessories. I had a small HO gauge train set, and I had hopes of expanding it. My dad and I had a plan to have it a large oval with double tracks and a few spurs going through an urban setting. Even though it never was completed, I had acquired many of the parts for it there. This toy store was there before a Toys R Us was put in during the early 1980's.

I can remember there was a meat market, I believe it was called Stebe's, but I am unsure of the spelling. I would go in there with my Mom and she would buy various cuts of meat there. It was all very good, high quality stuff. I can still remember the smell of the place, it smelled like a clean, sanitary, butcher shop should. Stebe's was the source of my first ever steak tartare. Some people may think that giving a five year old steak tartare might be a little crazy, but back in the 1970's you could get away with that. I love steak tartare to this day, but to find a reputable butcher to make it right, well, that's more difficult. Spread it on rye bread with a little salt and I am good to go!

Not only did Arborland have savory, but it also had sweet. Detroit based Sander's had an ice cream shop in Arborland until the company fell into financial difficulties later on in the 1970's. I had numerous chocolate shakes and malts there as a kid. I recall it even had an old-school soda fountain. You may have seen them, a big stainless steel curved device with a black colored handle that was the source of the carbonated water. They had some great ice cream treats, and the very best pound cake I have ever had. The shop smelled heavenly.

You could also get you hair cut at Arborland. Ernie Dascola had a barber shop there for many years. Ernie was a legend in Ann Arbor hair cutting, along with his two brothers and his nephew. His nephew, Robert, worked with Ernie in his younger years before he opened his own barber shop. Robert Dascola still runs a barbershop in downtown Ann Arbor to this day. Ernie was an old-school barber, and he was always a good conversationalist, even to a little kid. One time my mom dropped me off there with a check to pay for the cut. Tip included, it was under $5.00. Robert also cut my hair sometimes. He let me examine a Two-dollar bill while doing so. It kept me occupied, but he was good with young people too.

As mentioned, Arborland once had a Kroger store. This Kroger store was pretty small compared to the ones they have these days. It was so small, a larger, free-standing one was constructed in the mid 1970's about one mile away. That location by the end of the 1990's was so small compared to newer stores, it too was abandoned for a still larger building.

In the front of Arborland were two large signs to let you know you were at Arborland. The tall "A" with the word "Arborland" beneath it is still there. This sign has a digital time and temperature display, and is still a landmark in Ann Arbor. There used to be, in addition, a cone-shaped sign with blue lights stringing down from a center point on top, something like a Christmas Tree. Around the bottom, beneath the blue lights was the name "Arborland" on two or three sides. That sign was removed some years ago.

The mall area contained a Jack and the Beanstalk mural that was on the wall of Montgomery Wards, this mural has been relocated to Kerrytown, near downtown Ann Arbor. There was a whale shaped sculpture that you could climb on. It has been moved to a house near a lake on the outskirts of town. I also recall a fountain, but I doubt it was ever moved.

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