Monroe, Michigan’s Spirit Halloween Was State’s First Phar-Mor

When you think of malls, I hope you're old enough to remember when they were bustling centers of commerce, societal evolution, and culture. Monroe, Michigan's Mall of Monroe, was no exception when it opened in 1988 (known as the Frenchtown Square Mall), it boasted an imposing lineup of anchor stores: Sears, Elder Beerman, Hills, JC Penney, and the state's first-ever location for the discount pharmacy chain Phar-Mor.

RELATED: The Past Lives of All 37 Michigan 'Spirit Halloween' Stores

Well, for 1988, that was an impressive lineup. However, it wouldn't age well, and it only took a few years before things started to break down for the Frenchtown Square Mall.

Unfortunately, Hills didn't make it past 1993, and Phar-Mor wasn't far behind them either, closing its doors in 1995. This closure made room for several other stores, including an expansion for Elder Beerman, who added a home store in some of the space. At the same time, Office Max and Old Navy took up the remaining square footage left after the pharmacy's closure.

The Rapid Decline of the Frenchtown Square Mall - Mall of Monroe

Old Navy closed in 2008, and in 2009, the mall abandoned its Frenchtown Square Mall moniker for the Mall of Monroe. 2014 marked the end for Office Max. Elder Beerman was rebranded into Carson's Home Store and eventually closed in 2018. The Monroe City Church attempted to open a location and exercise the demons from the Carson's Home space, but it eventually left the mall when the chain liquidized.

Cue the specter of retail vacancies, Spirit Halloween. Having just the right square footage and enough ghosts of failed retailers haunting the floor, the August through October Grim Reaper rents the space once occupied by Michigan's first-ever Phar-Mor discount pharmacy. Now you can buy fake dog poop and a Hawk-Tooey Girl mask there. Curious about what other Spirit Halloween stores used to be across Michigan? Scroll on.