The Taylor Commons Shopping Center (21592 Ecorse Road) is receiving a much-needed, across-the-board face lift. The complex has been noticeably worn down ever since the old Farmer Jack's closed, but Crunch Fitness is moving into the location, and the owners of the center will be investing funds to put a new face on the site.
Taylor Commons is currently the home of the Secretary of State and Measurement Inc. It's out lot houses a popular Applebee's. The adjacent Taco Bell recently underwent a total remodel. However, the shopping center has experienced a lot of vacancies, and residents and visitors to the Ecorse Road corridor have longed for improvements.
Crunch Fitness will move into the portion of what used to be a Farmer Jack's. It will be divided to suit other prospective tenants. And the entire complex will be given new color scheme and design.
The original Crunch was founded in 1989 as a fitness studio by Doug Levine, a former stockbroker. The clubs became popular by appealing to young upscale members and featuring heavy promotions and marketing. They were initially profitable in large part due to successful promotion of logo merchandise sales within the clubs. They featured unusual classes. Although the classes were later standardized across various locations, some popular offbeat classes remained.
Crunch Fitness has now evolved into a wide-ranging international organization. While it offers local locations in Dearborn, Westland and Farmington Hills, it also has a heavy presence in Canada and even as far away as Sydney, Australia.
Major construction and business renovations will be breathing new life into the Taylor Commons Shopping Center, where the old Dunham's and Taco Bell sites are being totally refurbished. The former Dunham's location at 21520 Ecorse Road behind Applebee's is scheduled to become the new home of Measurement Incorporated. The corporation plans on investing $350,000 on interior renovations for the 300-plus-job site.
Taco Bell, meanwhile, is undergoing a complete tear down and rebuild at its location at 21700 Ecorse Road.
The Measurement Incorporated location is scheduled to open in 2017. The two business ventures will breathe new life into the Taylor Commons Shopping Center, which houses a Dollar Tree and Secretary of State sites.
Less than a mile away, Kroger recently expanded, an $8.8M investment, and a Pets Supplies Plus was built.
According to its website, Measurement Incorporated is an employee-owned corporation that provides educational and professional examinations, program evaluation and related services to state and local governments, other testing companies and various professional organizations. Since its founding in 1980, it has earned a reputation as an industry leader in providing professional hand scoring services for essays and open-ended exams. It has steadily built the capabilities and expertise to include test development, scanning, scoring, score reporting, psychometric services, program evaluation, printing, administration, secure shipping and storage, professional development, tutoring and multimedia instructional support.
The Taylor location of Kroger officially re-opened in 2016 after a major renovation and expansion. The store, at 7000 Monroe, was remodeled and expanded into a nearly 100,000-square-foot shopping experience.The opening marked the end of an $8.8 million dollar investment.
Store manager Jim Fox said it is now one of the largest in Michigan. The store offers a fuel station, large floral department, sushi bar and more. Also new is an expanded deli, larger pet department and the relocation of the pharmacy to allow the installation of a drive through. It also introduced ClickList, Kroger's popular new online grocery ordering service.
The City of Taylor and Wayne County each took the time to recognize Pia's Ristorante Italiano, 21142 Ecorse Road, as it celebrated its 60th year in business. Mayor Rick Sollars and his family, along with Wayne County representativeds, visited Pia's and helped one of the restaurant's founders, Josephine Pecci, celebrate the milestone.
Mayor Sollars talked about how Mrs. Pecci was born and raised in Supino, a province of Frosinone, Italy, before she came to America in 1954 with her father and four siblings to begin a new life. The following year, Pia's started as a pizzeria pickup-only location – and was the first pizzeria in Taylor Township. Josephine and her late husband, Luigi, built the location into what it is today, using her original recipes to lure a never-ending line of satisfied customers. Daughter Dina now runs Pia's – although Josephine still takes an active role.
The Taylor Town Shopping Center, Ecorse and Pardee, continued to make improvements in 2016. It houses mainstays like Great Lakes Ace Hardware, Dorsey School of Beauty, Family Dollar, and the Taylor Town Trade Center (market).
Two partners plan to build a new Meadows Banquet and Convention Centre in a vacated offices of the state Family Independence Agency on Ecorse Road west of Telegraph and east of Beech Daly. S&B Development of Redford Township purchased the property, located next to the Taylor Meadows Golf Course. Baljit Bains and Rattan Sekhon. partners in S&B Development, said they plan to invest $12 million to $15 million in the two-story, 61,000-square-foot convention center that will feature a rooftop bar. Sekhon owns and operates the Comfort Inn & Suites on Telegraph Road in Taylor.