Surprise Retail Shift: National Name Takes Over Rite Aid in Lansing

Cross one off the list—like a coupon from your grandma’s Sunday stash—the Rite Aid at E. Saginaw and Lake Lansing in East Lansing, Michigan, is finally getting a second chance at retail glory.

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Rite Aid Left Michigan With a Massive Real Estate Problem

Let's face it, the size of the Rite Aid floor plan almost requires a national presence to occupy it, with most mom-and-pop shops not looking for that much room. Most of them were between 11,000 and 15,000 square feet in size. So, who’s setting up shop in this pharmaceutical ghost town?

Based on the new signage and the OPENING SOON banner adorning the front, it's a safe bet that Dollar Tree is now planting roots in East Lansing. This location will be the eighth in the Lansing area.

There’s no press release, no flashy announcement—but there is a ‘NOW HIRING’ sign, and if that’s not a corporate bat-signal, I don’t know what is.

Traffic & Visibility Appeal

The intersection of Lake Lansing and E. Saginaw is a pretty busy stretch of road, too, with plenty of potential bargain hunters looking for deals. Of course, that traffic didn't do enough to keep the Rite Aid there, so here's hoping Dollar Tree has better luck with this location.

Other Tenants Filling Big Boxes

This isn't the first time a new tenant has taken over a former Rite Aid location. According to The Broke List, Sparrow Health System renovated the location across from their downtown Lansing campus on East Michigan Avenue into a multi-service health center.

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It'll be interesting to see what else happens to the remainder of Michigan's vacant Rite Aids, but one thing is for sure: at least one of them will become a Spirit Halloween.