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| Can you guess what is special about this entrance to Fairlane Mall? |
UPDATE 11/21/12 : CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF BLACK FRIDAY DOORBUSTERS FOR FAIRLANE MALL
On Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending a media event at Fairlane Mall in Dearborn, MI which included a tour and lunch with mall general manager Catherine O'Malley.
I have shopped at Fairlane Mall for over 20 years so I thought I knew just about everything there is to know about the place. From the advantage point of my weekly shopping trips, I have watched Fairlane Mall ebb and flow with the economy as all businesses have in Metro Detroit. But even I learned a thing or two on our tour from Catherine O'Malley that made me take notice.
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| Park at this entrance when it's snowing since it is always clear |
One very interesting fact that Catherine O'Malley shared on the tour is that Fairlane Mall is the only remaining Taubman managed mall in Metro Detroit that has live interior flowers. I have always loved the flowers inside the Fairlane mall, especially the ones around the interior waterfall.
One very important fact that I learned on our tour is that the information booth at Fairlane Mall has a book that contains a list of all the jobs available at the mall stores. Fairlane Mall has made it very convenient for employment seekers. The information booth is also a Ticketmaster location.
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One interesting addition to the mall that has opened for the holiday season is called Me-Ality™- This service matches your exact measurements to clothes that will best fit and flatter your body shape. The way it works is you step into the glass matching station and it scans your body measurements while you are fully clothed.
After you go through the matching process, Me-Ality™ gives you a personal shopping guide that recommends the best looking styles for your body. For those who are game, Me-Ality™ is totally FREE to use.
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What holiday season mall tour would be complete without a visit to see Santa? Santa's Ice Castle is back for another year with plenty of surprises for the kids.
I remember when the Ice Age themed castle first made its debut. My son and I walked through and stared in amazement when we reached the center court and saw it snowing. And everyone on the tour had that same kid-like amazement as watched the flaky white stuff gently floating from the ceiling.
It really is the little things that give people joy. Like the little gift of a FREE Ice Age notebook that kids get when they visit with Santa - the Big Guy even hooked me up with one. Santa's schedule at Fairlane Mall until Christmas Eve is -
Monday - Saturday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Christmas Eve: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Fairlane Mall has a number of new restaurants that have been added over the last few years including Bravo! where we all had lunch. This was my first time eating there and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. I would highly recommend the Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad.
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| Toys R Us Express will open at 6am on Black Friday |
It used to be that Black Friday shopping did not actually start until the day after Thanksgiving. But these days, stores are opening on Thanksgiving night including the Sears at Fairlane Mall which will open at 8pm on Thursday. The remaining anchor stores will open at various times on Friday with Macy's and Sears opening at Midnight and JCPenney opening at 6am.
Interior mall stores will open at various times starting at midnight including Cinnabon, Bath and Body Works, Best Buy Mobile, Things Remembered and Victoria's Secret.
The Coffee Beanery will open at 2am for all the Black Friday shoppers who need some caffeine to get through the night. Tons of other interior stores will open at 6am including Toys R Us Express, Coach, DSW Shoes, Hallmark, and H&M. And Gamestop will open at 7am.
On Saturday, November 24th, Sears and Macy's will open at 7am and JCPenney will open at 8am.
If you have packages and don't feel safe taking them to your car by yourself, Catherine O'Malley wants everyone to know that you can go to the information desk and mall security will be happy to escort you to your vehicle. For safety, she stressed that shoppers should place all packages in the trunk of your vehicles and not in the backseat.
So get your sales ads ready and your favorite caffeinated beverage for maximum shopping energy. Fairlane Mall is ready and waiting for all the holiday shoppers.
Fairlane Town Center
18900 Michigan Ave
Dearborn, MI 48126
(800) 992-9500
www.shopfairlane.com/
www.facebook.com/fairlanetowncenter
Enjoy!
Disclosure: I was invited to the Fairlane Mall tour as a member of the media. My lunch at Bravo! was complementary. All opinons are my own.
Like my photos in this post? They were all taken with the Verizon Droid Razr M Smartphone loaned to me by Verizon Wireless.
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