Marvin's Is Almost Back, a Mile Up Orchard Lake Road. Here's What's Rising in Its Old Spot at Hunter's Square

For 35 years, a trip to Hunter's Square could mean a run to TJ Maxx or a fistful of tokens at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. The redevelopment at Orchard Lake and 14 Mile roads has now pulled those two things apart. The shopping center is being rebuilt around Meijer, Total Wine & More, Nordstrom Rack and a new RH Outlet. Marvin's had no room in that plan, so it is getting ready to reopen about a mile north in West Bloomfield Township, in a space roughly three times the size of its old one.

Many people in Farmington Hills will remember that corner for both things at once. Over the past year it has split in two, and the second half is about to open.

Why the old Hunter's Square couldn't stay as it was

Hunter's Square was never planned as a whole. In its project case study, the redeveloper, Symmetry Management, says the center grew through decades of small additions. That left storefronts set back from sight lines, shop spaces curving around odd bends, and a big share of the center vacant and in disrepair. The company's answer was to keep the working half of the center open while it tore down and rebuilt the rest.

The Farmington Hills City Council unanimously approved the planned unit development and site plan on February 12, 2024. The conditions included money for public art. The plan called for a grocery store of about 70,000 square feet, smaller retail and outlot buildings, and fast-casual dining. The developer says getting approval took more than two and a half years and more than a dozen meetings with the city. It says the main hurdle was the attachment people felt to what would be torn down, not opposition to new retail.

The buildings slated for demolition sat on the north side. Hometown Life reported in February 2024 that Marvin's, Buffalo Wild Wings and Five Below were in that section, while Old Navy, TJ Maxx and Ulta were expected to stay.

Marvin's took the long way to a building a mile north

The plan changed over time for some of the displaced tenants. In September 2025 the Planning Commission recommended a revised site plan that reworked the tenant spaces. Buffalo Wild Wings asked for a new 5,000-square-foot space on the same property. Five Below, Buffalo Wild Wings and Mattress Firm all ended up relocating inside the center.

Marvin's went farther. In early 2024, owner Jeremy Yagoda told C&G News he hoped to stay in Farmington Hills. He said he did not blame the city or the landlord and understood the business reasons for the redevelopment. The museum, founded by his late father, Marvin Yagoda, closed at Hunter's Square in January 2025.

The new home is in Orchard Mall, in the former Sav-On Drugs space on Orchard Lake Road just north of Maple, according to The Detroit News. Earlier coverage gave the mall address as 6421 Orchard Lake Road. Yagoda told CBS Detroit that the old museum was 5,000 square feet and the new one is 15,000. He said he has added two private party rooms, new machines and "a special surprise." In February, MLive described the new space as about twice the size of the old one, so the exact multiple depends on the source.

The move has taken longer than planned. In February, MLive reported that construction on the new space was nearly finished and that the museum expected to welcome visitors back "in a couple months." The Detroit News reported that a plumbing problem pushed back a late-May opening target. Then, in a Facebook post in September, the museum said it would reopen "VERY soon," in "weeks not months."

When CBS Detroit toured the space in late September, Yagoda said the opening would come weeks after the building passed its inspections, which were scheduled soon. "We've brought everything over, and I think the vast majority of people are going to be really happy," he told the station. No opening date had been announced as of mid-October. The museum's site at marvin3m.com and its Facebook page are where the date is most likely to show up first.

What's rising in the old footprint

The first new store opened while Marvin's was still waiting. RH Outlet, the discount arm of the home furnishings brand, opened Thursday, August 27, 2026. Mayor Theresa Rich called it the first of the center's new businesses, according to the Detroit Free Press. Crain's Detroit Business reported that the store sits where Marvin's used to be. It called the opening the first completed phase of the plaza's rebuild and said construction was continuing to the north.

Here is where each part of the center stands, based on the developer's published tenant roster and the dates announced so far.

Nordstrom is the only one of the new anchors to give a timeframe so far. Its March 2026 announcement set a fall 2027 opening for the Nordstrom Rack off Orchard Lake and 14 Mile roads. The Detroit News describes the Meijer as a smaller-format store. In her March 2026 State of the City address, the mayor named Meijer, Nordstrom Rack and Total Wine as the finished center's main tenants. She also said demolition was well along, according to the city's summary.

Estimates of the project's cost differ. A Crain's photo caption from August puts it at an estimated $50 million. The developer's June 2026 case study lists a total investment of $75 million.

How the corner got here, in order

Put in order, the dates show how long the corner has been changing and how much is still ahead.

1. February 12, 2024. City Council unanimously approves the redevelopment plan.
2. January 2025. Marvin's closes at Hunter's Square after operating there since 1990.
3. September 18, 2025. The Planning Commission recommends a revised plan that reworks tenant spaces, including room for Buffalo Wild Wings.
4. March 2026. The city reports demolition well underway, and Nordstrom announces its fall 2027 Rack.
5. August 27, 2026. RH Outlet opens as the first finished piece of the new center.
6. Late September 2026. Marvin's says it will reopen in West Bloomfield within weeks of passing inspections.
7. Fall 2027. Nordstrom Rack's planned opening, the latest date announced for the project so far.

CBS Detroit puts the new Marvin's about one mile from its old spot, close enough to see both stops on a single drive up Orchard Lake Road.

Changes like this along Orchard Lake Road affect how a neighborhood works day to day, and we keep track of them for our clients across Oakland County. If you have questions about what this means for a home near Hunter's Square or anywhere in Farmington Hills, the team at Sage Premier Real Estate is glad to talk it through with you. We'll give you honest answers and won't rush you.