Photostory: Gibraltar Trade Center
Designer: Harvey Leach
Builder: Not specified; likely private company employed by Mr. Leach
Construction: 1971-1972 (?)
Location: 15525 Racho Road, Taylor (48180)
Years Active: 1970s (Joshua Doore); 1982-2014 (Gibraltar Trade Center)
Other alias: John O. Laughlin Furniture (late 1970s)
Demolished: 2015
Current Status: Part of “Trader’s Point” complex (Menards, BJ’s, et.al)
Story credits
Photos and text by Kevin Harrison
Date of Visit: November 15, 2014
The “Weekend Public Market” was named for its initial Downriver location
Gibraltar Trade Center, now but a memory state-wide since their Mt. Clemens location shuttered in 2017, had very humble beginnings when it was first formed by the Koester family in 1970. It opened as an outdoor flea market and auction house on Woodruff Road. The exact address and location are unknown, although city zoning maps showed it would have been in the southern part of Gibraltar.
Growing in both size and scope, the facility would move to the former Joshua Doore warehouse on Eureka Road in 1980, fully taking over the property by 1982 as an indoor market. An official grand opening celebration was observed on May 2, 1982. At its peak in the early 1990s, the facility was home to over 400 individual vendors. The increased vendor activity and visitor attendance would result in two expansion projects (1990 and 1993), nearly doubling the selling space from 153,000 to 320,000 square feet.
Vendors sold everything at discounted prices, ranging from automotive audio products to trading cards, novelties such as Beanie Babies, Oriental rugs, and live pets (including dogs and birds). Numerous tattoo parlors dotted the indoor landscape, which also had several food vendors, offering a range of foods from elephant ears to fresh Amish dishes.
Part of this expansion included the opening of the Mt. Clemens location in 1990, which would span 336,000 square feet. Vendor numbers in Taylor would then steady themselves at the 200-300 range well into the 2010s, at a time when Taylortown Trade Center (on Ecorse Road) was also competing for the customer dollar. Gibraltar Trade Center ranked personal customer interaction above all else, with many friends being made over the years. They never saw the need to use eventual online services to move merchandise.
By the early 2010s, a country-wide economic downturn was affecting this area, and seemed to linger Downriver even after most of the country began recovering. This, along with the gradual, sizeable initial rise of the internet online retailing business (led by Amazon) resulted in a sharp downturn in Taylor’s attendance. It was decided the Taylor location would merge with the Mt. Clemens operation in 2015, resulting in the closure of the Eureka Road property in November of that year.
The newer facility would wind up operations themselves in 2017, citing the same reasons listed above. At the time of its closure, Bob Koester announced that a related retailer (Gibraltar Rug & Furniture) and the “Gibraltar Gun & Knife Shows” would remain in operation, although their status in 2026 is unknown.
The Taylor location would meet the wrecking ball in 2015, ahead of a multi-building development called Trader’s Point. This area now houses the three stores, with further expansions northward available.
Webmaster’s personal recollections
About two-thirds of the way through this visit, I approached the area I thought would be of most interest. Having remembered my previous visit from a year prior, I found the two picture frames with photos of various vendors and the activities taken place over the 30-plus years of the center’s existence. Some of the photos had that classic yellow look about them, the hairstyles were different, the clothing had changed. But this montage showed all the happy times and, I hoped, could dispel the unfortunate rumors surrounding the stigma long associated with major resale shops or flea markets.
Unfortunately, there was a chain barrier preventing up-close access to the display and, since my zoom camera was dead on arrival, I feared I wouldn’t be able to get too many concrete images from the past. Just then, an older gentleman walked in from out of nowhere. Dressed casually and rather quiet, he began to push the links forward.
My first reaction (to that) is always one of embarrassment, as I said to myself: if he can do this, then I could have done it minutes before!
I was still studying the photos when he spoke: “I’ve got files and files of those back in the office,” was his greeting.
My first question was in my brain, but never entered my mouth: How did you get your hands on all of them? Then he spoke again, casually and matter-of-factly: “I’m the guy that started this place thirty-four years ago.” Indeed, it was Mr. Koester, the man behind the vision which began on Woodruff Road back in 1970. It was just amazing to me that of all the people there, he just happened to be there to speak to me.
Naturally, my brain was just teeming with possible questions. I mentioned this website to him, and he acknowledged it without really saying anything to that regard.
I thought: Uh-oh, did I speak too soon or out of turn? This is probably one person who you don’t dare try to push things on during his last week of existence Downriver! Taking a casual glance toward his direction, the disappointment was slightly evident, understandably so.
But this didn’t seem to be a man who would, or could, let out emotions easily. Whether it was natural or self-controlled, he kept his composure.
It was a small, impromptu interview
“So, you started this?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, gesturing at the montage, “and this is everything that went on, starting on a street called Woodruff…”
“Behind Carlson High School?” A nod of the head.
“It’s just amazing how the looks have changed,” I observed.
“It is,” he replied. “When I started, I barely had enough space.” He gestured toward an aerial photo of the property taken in the 1980s, prior to the expansions. “I started with this much in 1980,” he said, pointing to about half the width of the current-day parking lot. “Then, I moved here in 1982.”
“You replaced Joshua Doore,” I said. Another nod: “That’s right, that’s right…” By now, I realized my job was not to interject, but to let him talk. So he did, in a reflective tone of one who didn’t really want to give up what he was doing. “In 1990 I built (the complex) in Mt. Clemens. And in 1993, I doubled the size of this place.” And now, 21 years later, having spawned local imitations, his investment Downriver was literally going in the history books.
Never mind the image, the negative connotations it could generate — the man was reflecting on all the years Downriver, photos of which jumped out at you.
Old friends. New friends. People prideful of their booths. The general economy, through time, could not dampen the spirits. This was people’s hobby, the chance to be their own boss.
Smiles in almost every photo, and they were not staged grins. They welcomed the exposure. This is what made them happy. The man who made this possible looked distant as he slowly finished moving the chain barriers as close to the wall as possible.
“This has been fun, but now, next week, I go to Mt. Clemens.” Finality ringed through. At this point, I was just too dumbfounded to say much more. Would this be proper etiquette for a reporter? No… probably not.
But for one who loves the area’s past as I do, it was ultimately fitting, and probably showed more of the man’s gentle, humble, unassuming manner than a set of rehearsed questions could. He was overlooking the social media frenzy of today, and thinking back to his roots. His face told the story. As a history buff, this is what you allow to happen. A story in expressions tells much more than something typed up from notes.
He prepared to leave as quietly as he came. Even with all I’ve just said in this space, I thought there had to be one more comment in me. It was a struggle, but I simply said thank you.
“People here are really appreciative of what you’ve done,” I told him. One more nod of the head, and off he was to check on his vendors, like he had for the past 1,770-plus weekends Downriver.
Many public reactions have been boisterously positive about Menard’s Home Improvement moving in to take its place, saying the move should have come much sooner to “clean up the image.” I would venture to say that people who say that have probably not walked through those doors themselves.
Like books and covers, interiors are not judged by exteriors… especially here. That could have been the first time I ever walked into that building, and the photos would have told me that I was among friends… beyond what social media could provide. An era is ending. But not the wonderment of it all.
Often imitated, never duplicated. That is Gibraltar Trade Center after 34 rich years Downriver.
