Department store
Marshall Field & Company originated in 1852. It was the premier department store on the main shopping street in the Midwest, State Street in Chicago. Upscale shoppers came by train from throughout the region, patronizing nearby hotels. It grew to become a major chain before converting to the Macy's nameplate on 9 September 2006. Marshall Field's served as a model for other department stores in that it had exceptional customer service. Field's also brought with it the now famous Frango mints brand that became so closely identified with Marshall Field's and Chicago from the now defunct Frederick & Nelson Department store. Marshall Field's also had the firsts; among many innovations by Marshall Field's were the first European buying office, which was located in Manchester, England, and the first bridal registry. The company was the first to introduce the concept of the personal shopper, and that service was provided without charge in every Field's store, until the chain's last days under the Marshall Field's name. It was the first store to offer revolving credit and the first department store to use escalators. Marshall Field's book department in the State Street store was legendary; it pioneered the concept of the "book signing". Moreover, every year at Christmas, Marshall Field's downtown store windows were filled with animated displays as part of the downtown shopping district display; the "theme" window displays became famous for their ingenuity and beauty, and visiting the Marshall Field's windows at Christmas became a tradition for Chicagoans and visitors alike, as popular a local practice as visiting the Walnut Room with its equally famous Christmas tree or meeting "under the clock" on State Street.
Oakland Mall
Borders Books & Music opened in 1999. The store, formerly a Winkleman's clothing store, was the first Borders to be located in a mall in Michigan. The movie theaters were closed in 2000 and were later converted to Steve & Barry's, which itself closed in early 2009. Hudson's was converted to Marshall Field's in 2001. In 2004, Lord & Taylor was proposed to become the mall's fourth department store; however, the store never materialized. September 2006 saw the conversion of Marshall Field's (and other May Co. nameplates) to the Macy's name. Borders closed in 2011 due to the chain's bankruptcy. In 2013, Forever 21 moved from its existing location in the Sears wing to the former Borders. In late 2014, the Gibraltar Furniture and Rug store in the former Steve & Barry's closed. In this area a new Dick's Sporting Goods was moved from the across the street shopping center to the mall, which opened in fall 2015. H&M opened a 20,000 square ft. store in the Macy's wing. Field & Stream opened northwest of JCPenney in March 2015. In 2015, Sears Holdings spun of 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Oakland Mall, into Sertiage Growth Properties.
In 2017, in an effort similar to Macomb Mall's Sears, Oakland Mall split off a section of its Sears to become an At Home. On June 28, 2018, Sears announced that its Oakland Mall location would be closing as part of a plan to close 78 stores nationwide. The store closed on September 2, 2018. The auto center was converted into a DieHard. Krispy Kreme and Logan's Roadhouse are also outparcels on the Seritage site.