MOUNT CLEMENS (WWJ) -- If you’ve ever driven down I-94 through the Mount Clemens area, there’s a very good chance that a rather tall gentleman has caught your eye.
Standing proud at 75-feet, the mustachioed and dapper “Gibraltar Man” has been a staple of Macomb County for over three decades — but these days, he’s looking a little different.
On this episode of The Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Zach Clark and Annie Scaramuzzino learn the ways in which this iconic Metro Detroit landmark is getting new life, and how the "Gibraltar Man" became one of the most recognizable faces of our region.
Before you could find anything you needed on the internet, there was another place you could turn to in Southeast Michigan: the Gibraltar Trade Center.
Originally founded by Jim Koester in the Downriver city of Gibraltar in the 1970s, the facility moved its operations to a larger location in Taylor in the early 80s.
The Gibraltar Trade Center off I-94 in Mount Clemens then opened in 1990, and with over 600,000-square-feet of retail space, it became one of the largest indoor flea markets in the country.
The Taylor location closed permanently in Nov. 2014, and was demolished the following year.
At the time, Bob Koester — son of founder Jim Koester — said he felt the popularization of internet retail had affected the vendors' sales, leading to a consolidation.
Then, in the summer of 2017, and it was announced that the Mount Clemens location would also be closing its doors. Shoppers took their final lap around the market during a close-out sale in August of that year, and then, it was the end of an era.
But even though the sprawling facility sat abandoned for the next five years, the Gibraltar Man continued to stand guard on the property, distinguished as ever, if not a little lonely.
When Pleasantrees Provisions, a marijuana processing and retail facility, moved into the location in 2022, they made the decision to keep the giant billboard in place.
And now, more than a year later, the Gibraltar Man is getting a makeover.
Over the last month, Zak Warmann — owner of Detroit Sign Painters — has been working tirelessly to usher the Gibraltar Man into the 21st century, while maintaining the integrity of the original rendering.
With the massive touch-up job, the color of his pinstriped suit has been transformed from brown to blue, and his vest is going from vermilion to green; colors in-line with the Pleasantrees brand.
But few other changes are being made to the notorious sign, which was an intentional move by Pleasantrees.
Warmann told WWJ that part of his process in taking on this behemoth of a project was reaching out to the family of the late Leonard Thomson — the artist responsible for painting the original Gibraltar Man nearly 35 years ago.
Thomson was a Grosse Pointe native and graduate of the College for Creative Studies, who worked for Gannett Outdoors for over 20 years as a billboard and sign painter.
Pieces of the Gibraltar Man even came together in Thomson’s backyard before it was assembled outside the Mount Clemens location in 1989.
Warmann says that before the job is officially done, he is hoping to have Thomson’s daughter join him on-site to paint the Gibraltar Man’s shoes, so that the family’s involvement can continue into this new version.
He is also planning to replicate another tradition started by Thomson after the project is finished — taking his daughter to Disney to celebrate a job-well-done.
As for the ‘why’ behind the sign’s recent upgrade, Pleasantrees says they are in the process of rolling out some big plans for 2024, including the opening of a retail space inside the Mount Clemens facility.
"In addition to housing a medical and recreational dispensary on-site, Pleasantrees has further plans to reactivate the location with community events, preserving the spirit that defined the historic Gibraltar Trade Center," the company said on Thursday in a press release. "The building will bring together residents from Mount Clemens and surrounding areas for concerts, auto shows, farmers markets, and more."
Further details on the reimagined Gibraltar Trade Center site are expected from Pleasantrees in the coming months.
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