Moyle to buy Copper Country Mall
By Michael H. Babcock, DMG WriterArticle Photos
HOUGHTON -Moyle Real Estate & Development has entered into a contract to buy the Copper Country Mall from current owners Developers Diversified Realty, an Ohio-based corporation.
"We have it under contract to buy it, we have an extended due-diligence period," President Andy Moyle said.
Moyle said they've been interested in the mall for many years, hoping to turn it into another bright spot in the Copper Country community.
"You can tell a lot about an area by how vibrant their shopping areas and downtown are," Moyle said. "The mall only being half full is a hindrance to any development in our area."
One way Moyle plans on succeeding is creatively solving problems the mall faces.
"As any organization gets bigger, there's more and more layers, the current owners and their systems can't be creative," Moyle said. "We can be much more flexible in our contracts."
Flexibility will allow Moyle to reconstruct space within the mall to match up with renters' needs.
"We're going to do some interior upgrades and some upgrades to the exterior," Moyle said. "Some businesses need store fronts facing out, but others do much better inside with a common space.
"Some (potential renters) will have us creating storefronts facing out with direct entrances."
Because of the company's flexibility, the opportunities for renters are boundless, especially considering over 65 percent of the mall is currently unoccupied.
"We aren't looking to take small tenants from downtowns, we're looking for people who need 20,000-or-more square feet that would build a stand-alone (structure) before," Moyle said. "This is a rare opportunity for people who need a large space."
The search has already begun for tenants, and Moyle said they've been in contact with many business leaders and community members in an attempt to turn the mall into something people can be proud of.
"This is really a community project that is being performed through us," Moyle said. "To find a developer that would look at this mall is pretty difficult, but we've been driving by it, thinking about what we could do to make it work for years.
"We live here, we can't be driving by the mall watching it empty."
Moyle said this project will be made much easier by the success of the Streetscape project, which showed Houghton's dedication to the future.
"It's already paying dividends to the community because it shows we're willing to evolve," Moyle said. "It costs money to hold on to your history and that's what they did with the Streetscape project."
Moyle hopes the construction can begin in the spring, and within two years he hopes to drastically improve the number of tenants.
"This is going to be a challenging project, but it's going to be a fun one and it will be exciting to see it all the way through," Moyle said.
Michael H. Babcock can be reached at mbabcock@mininggazette.com.
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CCNative
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10-12-09 11:05 PM
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Having a Menards, Lowes, or Home Depot in the Copper Country would provide lots of good, stable jobs and would help to prevent local Copper Country residents from traveling to Marquette to purchase building supplies like many of them do now.
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jenbluedog
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10-11-09 11:22 PM
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If everyone would stop shopping at Walmart that would help out all the local businesses in the area. You should try it, it's not that difficult.
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JustAnotherYooper
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10-07-09 8:43 AM
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fuzzypinkbunnyslippers I think you are misinformed... Moyle is only a lumber yard. No electrical, plumbing, etc. If one of the big three were here it wouldnt make that much of a diffetence to them. (Menards, Lowes, Home Depot). The only ones I can remember making a ruckas and complaining about it was 41 Lumber and McGanns. I think you should be directing your disappointment to one of them and not Moyle.
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fuzzypinkbunnyslippers
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10-05-09 8:47 PM
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If Mr. Moyle can fill up the mall with some RETAIL stores and make it like it used to be great! As for a lowe's or home depot. You've got to be kidding. You'll never see that happen. He's in the construction business. That's the reason why he bought the mall so that nothing like that would ever happen. We almost had a menard's here.
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ThreeSigma
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10-05-09 11:00 AM
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I can only wish them luck as improving that area can only be a good thing. What we really need up here is some good clothing stores (Old Navy, etc.). I needed to buy a suit the other day and it is almost impossible to buy one up here.
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JustAnotherYooper
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10-05-09 9:21 AM
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By Moyle buying the mall it can only be a good thing. It will become "LOCALLY OWNED" isnt that one of the major factors up here? Would we have several of the business up here that we do, if they didnt see INTO THE FUTURE and see it was going to help our Economy. As if the CC MALL was a hotspot in our area to begin with, The 7? Store have stuck it though the hard times and I think this will be a turning point for the Mall. No matter what they do with it, it will only improve. Start supporting SOMETHING, or if you have the capital to make major improvements such as buying something and improving it DO IT. All the negative comments only prove that no matter what you do, it will never be good enough. Again, step up to the plate and do something about it rather than B!&#*ing and moaning about it. As a side note.. How many of the complainers out there are frequent visitors to business Moyle has help bring up here. Sounds a little hypocritical to me.
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JustAnotherYooper
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10-05-09 9:11 AM
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I'm confused by all the Negative Comments out there. 1) They are always complaining about Moyle building new instead of investing in an old buildling and making it work. 2) Several have said they want the Mall saved and someone to do something good with it. 3) Moyle has there fingers in everything. Here is my responce. 1) When you are throwing out accusations and judegement why dont YOU step up to the plate and do something about it. By Moyle buying the Mall it will only cause jobs and increase shopping in our area instead of having to go to Marquette, Appleton or Green Bay. 2) Can't you actually support something instead of taking a good thing and always running it into the ground. 3) Moyle is trying to help keep our community afloat up here. If any of the other contruction companies out there had the ability to do by the Mall why didnt they, and would they be getting the negagive comments. NO!
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Abides
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10-05-09 8:14 AM
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"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18
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calumetboy1
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10-04-09 5:42 PM
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copperislandtrader, without those "parking nazi's" good luck getting a place to park in downtown houghton or calumet. Just put a nickel in the meter and you don't have a problem.
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CCNative
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10-04-09 3:02 PM
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The smart thing for Moyle to do is to "flip it" without investing a penny in it. Anything that he invests in it short of tearing the whole thing down will be money down the drain. I hope that Home Depot, Menard's or Lowe's can be persuaded to buy it. The Copper Country needs a super big discount home center. It's the one thing that we don't have.
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Copperislandtrader
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10-04-09 2:43 PM
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With the Parking Nazis in Calumet and Houghton, who blames anybody for shopping on the hill!
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Copperislandtrader
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10-04-09 2:40 PM
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Hey FishGuts, Who said we needed that crap up the hill? I used to like not having all that clutter! 15 yrs ago it was a lot more smalltown around here.
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CCNative
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10-04-09 9:17 AM
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Found the following: "Heard that Canal Crossings Condo project was expected to receive the MDOT driveway easement this month which will allow units to be sold." (***********cityofhancock****/minutes/minutes_6.pdf)
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CCNative
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10-04-09 9:09 AM
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Why is Moyle's ******inium still not occupied?
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lostmyshovel
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10-03-09 11:22 PM
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No Fishguts, everyone involved in the dumbest and probably most corrupt real estate deal in this area in years goes down. Everyone.
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FishGuts
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10-03-09 10:32 PM
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Jimmer, blame the city of Hancock for the condo project, Moyle presented a project, they accepted, period. Cant blame a company for trying to make $$$$.
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CCNative
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10-03-09 10:11 PM
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What the Copper Country needs is a giant discount home center such as Home Depot, Menards, or Lowe's. Lowe's stores average about 75,000 square feet. but they would also need room for an outdoor lumber yard. If the mall were to be torn down, would there be enough room for such a store?
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BuddyBoy
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10-03-09 8:25 PM
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Moyle should bulldoze the place. Never saw such a poorly run mall. While he is at it might as well bulldoze the bridge condos also. These developers and bankers will steal you silly if you don't watch.
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DMGreader
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10-03-09 7:45 PM
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I'm glad Moyle is stepping up to try to save the mall, it is a waste of space and resources that could be put to better use. On another note, I'd have to agree with Jimmer310, Moyle needs to stop with the strip malls. They are killing the downtowns and encouraging inactivity by providing the ability to drive to every store. What happened to getting out of the car and walking a bit?
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Concernedyooper
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10-03-09 4:33 PM
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Malls have seemed to be dying out across the country. Many of the national stores that were primarily set up in malls have begun folding their tents. I was in TN last week and went to a mall that only the anchor stores (Sear and Pennys) were open. The rest was boarded up. Good luck to them anyway...
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MalteseFalcon
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10-03-09 4:24 PM
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There are many issues facing the Copper Country Mall. Successful malls create an environment that encourages you to come and stay a while. Eateries and access to shopping carts, etc. are a key part of that. Our mall has been steadily declining for years. It's become less of a place to go and spend time, and more of a destination type setting. This makes it more like the atmosphere you would find with a strip mall. Problem is it's location is no longer as effective with Walmart in town. I'm willing to bet a lot of people no longer go that far up the hill even. Most hit Walmart and/or Econo, get some food, and head home. Things in Houghton have changed, and the Kmart closing really hurt the mall. Stores with their own entrances are great IF you are looking to go to that store primarily. It does not encourage the traditional mall concept though of going from store to store. I wonder how many businesses will need 20,000+ square feet in Houghton at the Copper Country Mall?
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yooperchicka
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10-03-09 1:38 PM
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Hoping all works out for Moyle on this move. The Copper Counrty Mall is pretty gloomy with not much left open inside...let's hope some of the previous stores might reconsider coming back to the area. A children's only clothing store would be excellent. Best of luck!
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RabbitKiller
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10-03-09 12:26 PM
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Don't forget the pasty shop.
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Jimmer310
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10-03-09 10:38 AM
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We have plenty up here *despite* Moyle. It's easy to bash a company when they make so many heavy handed, good ol' boy deal, weird mistakes. Go on, defend the bridge condos. I want to see how you think that deal was good for anyone besides Moyle and its employees.
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FishGuts
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10-03-09 10:11 AM
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Awesome, now stop the Moyle bashing, we wouldn't have S-h-i-t up here if it wasnt for Moyle. Hopefully the mall can become a place to shop again!
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