History of Monroe Factory Shops/Horizon Outlet Center

The Monroe Factory Shops, later known as the Horizon Outlet Center, is an abandoned outlet center in Monroe, MI. The outlet originally opened in 1988 and experienced much success throughout the 90s, featuring notable stores such as Nike, Gap Outlet, Reebok, Old Navy, and more. Its location right off Interstate 75 helped boost sales inside the complex . However, with the rise of the internet, like many others, the outlet began to see a decline in the early 2000s as online shopping became the go-to option, compounded by the Great Recession of 2008. The outlet slowly lost all of its tenants by 2017-2018, with the last tenant being Motor City Fireworks. Shortly after abandonment, many incidents began to occur as the stores were picked apart. Attempts to prevent this met with little success , such as the addition of private property signs around the entire property, along with cameras and a fake "Dog on Premises" sign. The most notable incident occurred in the spring of 2019 when two teenagers destroyed over 200 windows at the former outlet, causing estimated damages between $70,000 and $100,000. Instead of replacing the 200 windows, boards were put up on every window inside the outlet, explaining the current state of excessive boarding up at the complex . At the start of abandonment, the property owners wanted to turn the location into a marijuana outlet. When cannabis was legalized in Michigan at the end of 2018, Monroe became a hotspot for cannabis and still is. When cannabis shops began opening in Monroe, they established themselves nearby the site of the former outlet but never took ownership or a lease inside the outlet . Today, the outlet remains abandoned, and not much has been done with the property. Graffiti and overgrowth have started to take over the complex, along with a couple of spots that look like a fire broke out, including the location of the former Motor City Fireworks.