The iconic Gibraltar man sign overlooking passing motorists on Interstate 94 in Mount Clemens has a new look these days.
The dapper mustached gentleman painted on the 75-foot sign recently underwent a facelift to call attention to a Pleasantrees cannabis dispensary’s breaking ground at the site of the Gibraltar Trade Center for a new addition.
Plans call for transforming the center into a “dynamic events space and cannabis retail store,” according to a news release issued last week.
“I have always dreamed of a world in which cannabis is destigmatized,” Randall Buchman, founder and CEO of Pleasantrees, said in the release. “I am grateful that Pleasantrees now has the opportunity to develop the Gibraltar site into a venue where cannabis users and the rest of the community can share experiences.”
Long known as the site of the former Mount Clemens Race Track, the property on North River Road operated as the Trade Center for more than three decades before it closed in 2017.
Since 2022, Pleasantrees has occupied the space with a temporary dispensary for medical and recreational sales. The leading Michigan cannabis retailer’s permanent location will occupy approximately 9,000 square feet of the 250,000-square-foot facility.
In addition to the housing a medical and recreational dispensary, the reimagined space will host community events, concerts, auto shows, farmers markets, and more. As part of the interior and exterior renovation, Pleasantrees plans to update the parking lot.
The center is owned by Clinton Township businessman James George and Hidden Ridge Investments, assessing records show. He purchased the building in 2017 and was awarded a license to grow, dispense and process medical marijuana in the building.
Pleasantrees has since taken a large chunk of the building for its provisioning center and the beverage processing facility.
As part of the property’s facelift, the larger-than-life mustached man now clad in a fresh blue getup, replacing a tired brown suit from the past.
Pleasantrees commissioned Detroit Sign Painters to outfit the tall man. The artist team includes the original sign painter’s daughter, Kelly Thomson McLeod, bringing the project full circle.
“[My father], Leonard Thomson, grew up in Grosse Pointe and graduated from Detroit’s College of Creative Studies. He worked as a billboard painter for over 20 years,” McLeod said in the release. “The Gibraltar Man is a family favorite. We were able to go to Disney World because of that sign, so it’s extra special to us.”
The Mount Clemens’ location will be a flagship for Pleasantrees, according to Buchman.