MB - The Michigan Daily Weekend Magazine - Thursday, December 10, 1998
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The Michigan Daily Weekend Mag
Dec. 10: From Sneakers to Sushi
l WhatGreat Lakes Crossing Mall
/ Where: Auburn Hills
/ How to get there: Take M-14 to 96 east. From there, take 696
north (towards Flint) to 1-75, which passes through Auburn Hills.
Signs along the highway mark exits for the mall.
/ How long: One hour
/ What to see: Great Lakes Crossing is the newest mall in the metro
Detroit area. Do your holiday shopping, buy something for yourself, pr
just absorb the ambiance of a sparkling new commercial establish-
ment.
I Road Trip of the Week
New mall brings outlets indoors
Unseen employees help keep camp
By Jessica Eaton
Daily Weekend, Etc. Editor
Country music. J.C. Penney. An
artificial rainforest. Giant pieces of
plastic fruit. Sushi.
What do all of these things have
in common?
You can find them all at Great
Lakes Crossing, the newest shop-
pingmall in the Metro Detroit area.
Since it opened on Nov. 12, Great
Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills has
attracted hordes of Christmas shop-
pers looking for new merchandise
and great deals in a trendy setting.
"This is a pretty new concept, like
Birch Run only indoors," said Alicia
Bayley, a shopper from Ann Arbor.
"There's not really anything else
like this. It has the discount outlet
I shops, but with all of the indoor
amenities."
Outlet stores of shopping
favorites, from Saks Fifth Avenue to
Eddie Bauer, abound at Great Lakes
Crossing. There are also the less
expensive choices, such as J.C.
Penney, T.J. Maxx, and Marshall's,
for clothing shoppers in search of
good buys.
Entering the mall, the first thing
the shopper notices is the comfort-
able, almost cozy environment; car-
pets, low ceilings and tasteful light-
ing create a casual atmosphere. The
mall spans just one floor and is laid
out like a circular track, so shoppers
can make the loop to see every store
and end up where they began with-
out having to backtrack or miss any-
thing.
Da~iy Great Lakes Crossing's food court
runs the width of the mall, from one
half of the track to the other, and
provides diverse ethnic cuisine, live
musical entertainment ranging from
Christmas carols to country west-
ern, and playground equipment for
children.
"It's a great place," said Ledina
Bushadi of Grand Rapids. "I like the
people that sing, the act, a lot."
Flanked by an Edy's stand on one
end and Ben & Jerry's on the other,
everything from burgers to sushi is
available for the weary shopper.
Instead of the usual tacky fast food
colors, the food court's design taste-
fully matches the rest of Great
By William Nash
Daily Arts Writer
They would give any good mother
a run for her money.
University employees do every-
thing from making dinner to clean-
ing up bathroom messes all without
one "because I said so."
Despite employees' commitment
to keeping students bellies' full and
getting them safely tucked in at
night, most work in relative obscuri-
ty. Rarely do students display much
appreciation, if they even know
which employee to thank.
Cook Polly Marinkovski, who
works in the lower levels under West
Quad's kitchen, gets her only feed-
back from student comment cards.
"I think most (students) are thank-
ful, but you cannot make everyone
happy," said Marinkovski. "We're
enjoys interacting with all types of
people.
While being interviewed she had
to give directions on a few occasions
and took a hospital-issued stroller
but not until asking its occupant,
"Did you like that ride?"
Although Wright has only been an
attendant for about two years, she
previously worked in South Quad,
Bursley and Bates as a housekeeper.
"I've always enjoyed working for U of
M" Wright said. "But I liked cleaning
the guy's side (of bathrooms) more than
the girls. Despite what everyone says,
they were far cleaner."
Her formal duties as an attendant
include greeting, helping people in
and out of their cars, making sure
wheelchairs and stretchers are avail-
able and numerous other tasks.
On one instance while Wright was
helping a woman
out of her car, the
woman's water
boys broke during the
conversion into a
than wheelchair.
The wheelchair
experience was
e hectic, but
(one Wright prays she
'onenever has to
were encountera vio-
lent situation.
She has dealt
with irate people
aynell Wright in the past, but
ital employee has always been
able to calm them
always trying
to improve
through the
cards,"
Before
working at
West Quad,
Marinkovski
owned a
Bakery in
Saline for
five years.
Although she
is a baker by
trade, she has
enjoyed
working for
the University
"very much."
nHiked
cleaning th
side moreI
the girs0
what every
says, they,
far cleaner.
- R;
University Hosp
Janitor Claran Knauss cleans up the basement of the Modern Languages Bul
"behind the scenes" employees at the University who, if they do there job w
acting with students and faculty and listening to singing classes rehearse.
ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Day
Great Lakes Crossing, located in Auburn Hills, is the area's newest shopping mall.
It is unique in its layout, with carpeted floors and architect-designed storefronts.
ADRIANA YUGOVIC H/t
Becky Reynolds, of Holly, works In a Great Lakes Crossing store that only sells
unusual magnets. There are many such specialty shops at the mall, intermixed
with larger name-brand outlet stores.
Lakes Crossing.
"It's really stylized," said Bayley.
"They put a lot into this. There are
overriding themes in the design."
The popular theme restaurants
Johnny Rocket's and a Rainforest
Cafe are located near the food court,
as well as a miniature amusement
park for children with the descrip-
tive name Jeepers! Food, Fun, and a
Monkey.
"I think it's very unique," said
Nicole Harris of Flint. "It's very
nice here, very clean."
Another aspect that differentiates
Great Lakes Crossing from other
local merchants of factory seconds
is the number of small specialty
shops. Along with the expected
music and beauty supply stores,
there is a store devoted to Harley
Davidson merchandise, a magnet
store, a baseball cap store, two
stores selling nothing but calendars,
and a Steve & Barry's larger than
any of the Ann Arbor locations.
Even though Great Lakes
Crossing attempts to bridge the gap
between outlet malls and traditional
trendy shopping establishments,
many of the mainstay retailers pop-
ular at other malls are noticeably
lacking. The Nine West, DKNY, and
Bebe outlets are grouped tightly
together near Saks, but there is no
Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch or
American . Eagle Outfitters.
Somewhere there is a really snappy
dresser who is just plain heart bro-
ken. Further, there are no stores
specializing in cartoon character
merchandise. While there is a Bath
and Body Works, there is no Body
Shop.
Several stores are still in the
process of moving in, most likely
opening after the Christmas rush. A
Bass Pro Shop will be located in the
Sporting Division, and a few other
empty spots are noticeable through-
out the mall.
While it may be impossible to
find a pair of Gap jeans or an
Abercrombie & Fitch shirt at Great
Lakes Crossing, it's an ideal place
to find a country knick-knack as a
gift for your aunt or a Blues
Brothers tie for your father, and it's
easy to spend several hours shop-
ping there ... no matter what you're
looking for.
"It's rewarding to ... cook and
know that I am feeding students,"
Marinkovski said. "That's the reason
I am still here."
Another employee, custodian
Claron "Dusty" Knauss, also knows
what working in anonymity is like.
Knauss has been working in the
Modern Languages Building's base-
ment for the past 10 years.
His duties include cleaning and
security, and he also has been known
to give directions and act as a lost-
and-found.
"I think it's rewarding to have a
teacher or student come back look-
ing for something and then be able
to see the look on their face when
you return it to them," Knauss said.
Knauss worked in the Brown and
Sharp hydraulic pumps factory in
Manchester, Mich., before coming
to Ann Arbor.
A couple of faded USA tattoos on
Knauss's forearm are remnants of
one of his first "jobs." Knauss was
in the Navy during World War II
where he served on the deck of a
Landing Ship Tank (LST).
Knauss admits he may not love his
custodial job, but he finds parts enjoy-
able.
"I like listening to (singing class-
es held in MLB) and talking to stu-
dents and teachers," Knauss said.
University Hospitals employee
Raynell Wright mans one of the
desks near the front entrance and
says she only encounters students
now and then, but she said she
down. She says that if a violent sit-
uation were to occur, she would have
to call hospital security.
These are only a few of the hundreds
of employees who service students
across campus. From making chicken
sandwiches to cleaning shower grime,
from flu shots to patrol cars, each, like
any good mother, take care of students
on campus.
Wright said it best: "Every person
here is very important in their own
way."
GOOD LUCK
WITH EXAMS '
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