Anyone who has ever lived on or near Barron Lake remembers the Eastgate Shopping Plaza located on Oak Street—a very popular place to shop in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
The center was sold in the mid 1990s. Businesses started to vacate after the sale. Within a few years the shopping center was all but empty and torn down making room for a proposed outdoor flea market that never came to fruition.
In 2019, however, the Niles Community Health Center opened on a large piece of the land that once housed dozens of local businesses.
One of the anchors at Eastgate was J.C. Penney, which took over the spot once occupied by Grant’s. J.C. Penny was in downtown Niles and moved to Eastgate in 1977, opening a one-level, scaled down version compared to other J.C. Penney stores located in larger malls.
One of the most popular stores was G.L. Perry, a variety store named for its owner Guy L. Perry. “G.L. Perry had everything from sewing notions and clothes to housewares, but more importantly, they had toys! I can remember riding my bike there from Barron Lake to buy Matchbox cars,” said Mike Andrews, who still lives in the area.
Other tenants included the grocery-chain Kroger, which became DeMonds Super Valu; plus, an office for National Standard Credit Union, a property title company, a branch of the Secretary of State, Old Kent Bank, Dollar General, Rent-A-Center (rent-to-own furniture), Upstarts Computer, Color Me Christian, and Market Place Flea Market and Bazaar.
Sit-down and to-go restaurants included Taco House, Little Caesar’s, Rey’s Mexican Restaurant and the Peking Chinese Restaurant. “I’d go to Peking for egg rolls. At the time they were the best,” said Mike Ferrell, of Niles. Plus, the Plaza 2 Restaurant. “That (Plaza 2) was a great place to eat after a night out,” commented Denise Mead. Former Niles resident Lisa LaHaie said she loved Rey’s Mexican Restaurant. “It was my first experience trying Mexican food and I everything I tried was delicious,” she said.
And of course, a chance to get sweet and creamy treats. “When we moved to Niles around 1980, I remember a Baskin-Robbins in Eastgate. I was young, but I clearly remember the bubblegum ice cream,” Amanda Cupp Nicodemus said with a smile. Another resident recalled Shirley’s Cake Supply.
There was no shortage of pharmacies—from Pat’s Pharmacy, complete with a soda fountain and delivery service, to a CVS, Cunningham Drugs, Perry Drugs, Rite Aid, Revo’s Drug Store, and Hook’s Drug Store. Not all were open at the same time, as several took over existing businesses.
One could always stay well-groomed with choices like Bryann’s Hair Design, Rana’s Hair Design, Queen’s Barbershop, Razor’s Edge and John’s Barbershop. If you needed a dentist, there was Dr. David Thackray who opened his Eastgate office in 1960. (He retired in 1990 and passed away in 2000.) If your feet were in need of some attention, Dr. William Fox, had an office in Eastgate. The podiatrist’s office relocated and as of 2022, is located on 17th street.
Whether you were looking to have your vehicle repaired, filled with fuel, or just needed some parts, you could visit Ralph Tuttle’s Shell gas station, Auto Works Automotive or Western Auto.
Women’s clothing stores included, Fashion Bug, which was part of a national chain; Marshall Shoppe, Sycamore Shop, and the Peacock Shoppe, which sold ladies, teens, and children’s clothes, plus jewelry. “At the start of each school year, my wife would head out to Eastgate to purchase school clothes for our two daughters. They always had some real nice things there,” commented a local resident. Men could purchase the latest fashions at The Checkered Flag.
Although the name of the laundry mat wasn’t readily available, some residents do remember one at the shopping center. “There definitely was a laundry mat because every single Saturday we started the laundry, went to Kroger’s to shop, then back to get the laundry and take a shake home from Pat’s Pharmacy,” said Maria Brown Mathy, who grew up on the lake, graduated from Niles High School and now lives in Florida.
Local residents also recalled Dick Cooper’s Camera Store, a Photo Hut in the parking lot and George Basker’s Photography Studio. Greg Murphy, whose family lived on Huntley Road, had his senior class picture taken at the studio for his 1964 graduation, and his sister, Judy, had her photo taken there three years later.
One of the businesses remembered by so many was Night Winds, where patrons could get their favorite movies, music and games. “I would go there all the time to get cassette tapes and then CDs when they came out,” said Mike Ferrell. “I also would rent Nintendo games there all the time. Night Winds always had the games I wanted, and I remember renting the Super Nintendo game when it first came out. They were always friendly, and it just stuck with me as a memory over the years. Seeing all the businesses disappeared was kind of sad to me since I’ve always lived here.”
<Editor’s note: Huge thanks to everyone on the Barron Lake Facebook page for contributions in recalling the businesses that once flourished at the Eastgate Shopping Plaza so this story could be compiled. When we first came to the lake in 1993, I didn’t realize at that time it soon would be gone. I frequented the shops quite a bit—very convenient and usually had what I needed. I hated to see it go—and judging by the comments on Facebook, so many others did, too. Jodi Marneris>
