The former site of the mall is occupied by a power center comprising Lowe's, Dunham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Family Farm and Home, and Devon Self Storage.
Forbes-Cohen (now known as Forbes Company), a retail developer based in Detroit, Michigan, announced plans for North Kent Mall in August 1969.
Their plans called for a 250,000-square-foot (23,000 m2) enclosed shopping mall with about 65 tenants, situated between two anchor stores: Montgomery Ward and Grand Rapids-based Wurzburg's.
These events included a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Gerald Ford, then a member of the United States House of Representatives, as well as executives of Forbes-Cohen, Montgomery Ward, and Wurzburg's.
[3] According to an ad in The Grand Rapids Press, among the stores open for business were Baskin-Robbins, Hallmark Cards, Kinney Shoes, Orange Julius, Spencer Gifts, and Waldenbooks.
Representatives of Forbes-Cohen stated that the closure was not formally announced in advance, but that they would be consulting other retailers for potential replacements of the Wurzburg's store.
[6] By mid-1977, The Grand Rapids Press reported on the possibility of the Wurzburg's at North Kent Mall closing a second time, as the store had not been re-stocked in several months and representatives of Kmart had expressed interest in purchasing the building.
They stated this was due to each of them having different mixes of tenants and a variety of events to draw in customers, which in the case of North Kent Mall included annual displays of boats and recreational vehicles.
[14] Representatives of the partnership also thought the closure of a bridge crossing the Grand River near the mall, and new retailers opening in Walker and Kentwood, furthered a decline in tenancy at this point.
This also resulted in Schostak no longer serving as manager,[19] as Isle of Skye founder Michael Morrison hired CB Richard Ellis in this regard.
[23] Jupiter Development, partnering with Lormax Stern, purchased both North Kent and Eastbrook malls (now known as Shops at CenterPoint) in mid-2000 and announced their own plans to renovate both properties.
[26] Shortly before demolition began, Montgomery Ward went out of business, closing both the North Kent Mall store and a location at Rogers Plaza.
[27] Jupiter Development acquired the former Montgomery Ward location after its closure, and sold its former automotive repair shop to Plainfield Township with the intent of converting it to a fire station.