Copper County Mall in Michigan may be considering creative solutions such as a marijuana grow for their empty retail space.
It is no secret that traditional brick and mortar retailers are struggling to adjust to the age of E-Commerce. Property owners may have to think outside the box if they want to fill their retail vacancies.
One mall in Michigan may be foreshadowing how property owners can keep their space filled in the future.
Portage Caregiver Center, opened in the Copper Country Mall last year. But now it looks like the owners are considering taking things further by transforming a former JC Penney retail store into a marijuana grow operation. They have proposed the idea to the local Houghton Township officials. A decision on whether or not to allow the grow operation is expected soon.
Retail expert Jeff Green was surprised to hear about the Copper Country Mall’s embrace of Portage Caregiver Center and the possibility of even more space being dedicated to a marijuana company.
“It is unique to what I’m seeing across the country,” Green said about the dispensary in Houghton according to Mlive.
With thousands of retail stores shutting down each year, a new age of business is coming. And while online retailers can provide the services and products customers need, what will happen to all of this commercial space?
Could the marijuana industry keep these spaces occupied in the future?
