Another 99 cent store would be a nice addition to the community. Perhaps a new Salvation Army location or a Goodwill store would be nice too.

Back in the day this strip had a real bookstore, we could certainly use another one!
Tuesday Morning would be welcome back in the 335 as well.

Would love a Trader Joe's but I know they won't build one so close to the 8/Hag location.

Hobby Lobby, craft store,

walgreens would be nice

We need something that is going to make people WANT to come and shop there...something unique. So Hobby Lobby would be my choice. The only other ones are in Canton or East Lansing. Or a NICE bookstore...barnes and noble. Or and Old Navy. If they build restaurants,have nice outdoor seating.Please no more Indian grocery stores or dollar stores or nail salons or discount anything!

Here are some suggestions: neighborhood bistro type restaurant -- fresh menu, reasonable prices; hardware store, johnny pomodoro's, wine bar, dessert and coffee place, Yummy Yogurt.
We need some contemporary, inviting life in there...the planning committee should visit downtown Plymouth, Royal Oak -- even parts of Livonia. Farmington needs to do a better job of bringing in businesses that are desireable destinations not just someone to pay rent. Mentobe and Basement Burger Bar type places seem to work. How about books/cafe together?

I love Roz Keith's ideas for a wine bar/dessert/coffee place and the bookstore-cafe. I would love a high-end yoga studio to go into this strip mall. I would love some other specialty food retailers, such as a good fish market, a quality butcher shop. I would love to have a fabric and craft store nearby. And, I'm always a sucker for a greenhouse/garden center.

--How about books/cafe together?--

We had one, Off the Beaten Path Books at Shiawassee and Orchard Lake. It was a great place to read, craft and snack. Sadly people weren't frequenting it.

I echo four of Beth's suggestions. It would be great to have a good fish market, a quality butcher shop, a fabric and craft store. An excellent idea on the greenhouse/garden center.

To the "your friendly (not) local FH Curmudgeon : who are you? And why do you not put a name behind your comments?
Are you serious about the thrift stores going in or is that just a mean comment?
Curiously Yours.

I love the idea of a Old Navy! What about Bath and Body Works, or HomeGoods. Its hard to decide with Novi just down the road... but I agree with no more dollar stores/discount stores... those seem to be popping up everywhere. Even a Hallmark store would be nice, or a coffee shop :)

Yes, Yes......Hobby Lobby. It's so much better than Michael's and I hate having to fight the traffic on Ford Rd. to get there. Also, a stand alone J.C. Penneys like the one on Ford Rd would be great too.

How about Kohls or a good men's clothing store. Also I would love a Tuesday Morning store, Ultra. I miss Fresh Approach but Buschs does a great job. No more dollar stores. A nice Hallmark store or used clothing store for children. I would love a Home Goods store. It would also be nice to have a Cancer store or Salvation Army store. Fozen Yogurt would be yummy too.

While I appreciate the motivation behind Patch's question, I think all the comments may be wasted. The only reason all the other recent businesses left was because they were forced out by the new owner (you don't really think Plato's left voluntarily after ten years, do you?). The above suggestions are nice, but I doubt they'll carry any weight with the owner and its plan for the space, whatever that is (I've heard rumors of a Walgreen, but that's just a rumor and, in my opinion, not a welcome one). If, however, the owner is actually listening to us, PLEASE don't let it be another Dollar Store, Hobby Lobby, used clothing store, Tuesday Morning, used book store, JoAnn, or any of the other stores that have failed in Farmington over the past 15 years or so. Or a Salvation Army, Cancer store, or other non-contributor to the image of the community. Or a Hallmark (there's one just a mile away) or a J.C. Penney (listen to the news, the company is close to going out of business). Or a quality meat/butcher shop (Busch's drove a well-run store like Fresh Approach out of business, there's no reason to think another would succeed). PLEASE let it be a moderately upscale contribution that would be a destination for the neighboring communities, not just ourselves, as suggested by Ms. Keith, above.

Joni, thanks for the info. I knew it was an auction that involved Walgreen, I just didn't know it was the seller, not the buyer. My comments notwithstanding, I'm actually very hopeful and optimistic that the new owners have something special in mind. They're certainly putting some money into it.

I think the city is putting money into the strip mall. There was an article in The Patch to that affect a couple of weeks ago. I would like to see a yogurt or gelato shop as one of the stores in that strip mall, like the one located in downtown Traverse City callede "Sugar Kissed". I think it would be a good fit for Farmington.

All of these suggestions are fine, but I doubt they have much chance of happening. Just down the road, downtown Farmington continues to see quite a few empty stores, even as a few new ones open occasionally. The business atmosphere here is not a good one, and landlords have been in the habit of grabbing on to anyone with a checkbook, as long as they sign a lease. There's been precious little research and effort to get a good retail mix, and consequently the area still has trouble drawing significant customer traffic. Combine that with inept "officials" who cannot or will not hire the professionals needed to attract viable new businesses, and in their attempt at trying their own hand at it have not only failed miserably, but fostered a negative perception of the area and it's customer base. The strip mall will likely be occupied by stores that have little chance to succeed - but there will almost certainly be a trumpeting of the "success" of filling it's spaces, if that should occur. Other communities have excelled at creating an atmosphere that fosters interest and desire, both on the part of outside investors and customers, even in a difficult economic period. Farmington and it's surrounds seems stuck in neutral, with it's wheels spinning but gaining very little traction. It makes me sad, and more than a little frustrated.