16300 Fort Street (Southgate, Michigan): Difference between revisions

| image = Meijer 123 Southgate.jpg

The Fort Drive-In Theatre ended the 1990 season without fanfare on September 3, with showings of ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump_Up_the_Volume_(film) Pump Up the Volume]'' and ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_SEALs_(film) Navy SEALs]''.<ref>[https://freep.newspapers.com/image/100016268/ Movie Guide], [[Detroit Free Press]], September 3, 1990, page 26.</ref> The theater had planned to reopen for the 1991 season, but a March windstorm severely damaged the screen beyond repair, forcing the venue to permanently close.<ref>[http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/driveintheaters.aspx?type=1&id=94 "Fort George Drive-In Theatre"], ''waterwinterwonderland.com''.</ref><ref name=cinematreasures>[http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/9968 "Fort George Drive-In"], ''cinematreasures.org''.</ref>

Around 1990, [[Walker, Michigan|Walker]]-based supercenter chain [[Meijer]] began considering opening a store in Southgate, and was planning to erect the store on the site of the then-abandoned [[E.J. Korvette]] shopping center across the street. Following the Fort Drive-In Theatre's screen damage, the city of Southgate persuaded Meijer to instead build atheir store on the site of the drive-in and the neighboring [[16450 Fort Street (Southgate, Michigan)|AMC Southgate 4]] theaterstheater. However, this plan was initially met with heavy backlash from residents, some of whom even used profanity against City Council members.<ref>Lewis, Kelly. [https://freepwww.newspapers.com/imageclip/10040330470124615/meijer-123-planning-strife-9191991/ "City Council asks Southgate to watch its mouth"], [[Detroit Free Press]], September 19, 1991, page 212B.</ref>

The Meijer store, [[Meijer 123|store #123]], opened on August 30, 1994.<ref>Cecilia, Deck. [https://vendornetwww.meijernewspapers.com/Homeclip/Section70122945/StoreLocationsmeijer-206123-grand-opening-article/ Meijer"Supermarket Storesweepstakes"], Locations[[Detroit Free Press]], meijerAugust 30, 1994, page 1E.com</ref> The store was the first Meijer in Michigan to incorporate a "Food Fair" section consisting of three specialty restaurants, each serving Chinese, pizza, and hamburgers, and two expanded cafe areas, a concept that Meijer had already been offering in it's first stores in Indiana, which opened earlier in 1994.<ref>[https://freepwww.newspapers.com/imageclip/9769199470124099/meijer-123-pre-opening-part-2/ "Meijer"], [[Detroit Free Press]], August 14, 1994, page 22D.</ref>