Believe It or Not

By | April 1, 2021

Retail on the Nicollet Mall

Nicollet Ave. looking north, Minneapolis, MN.

The Nicollet Mall was the pre-eminent retail location in the entire Upper Midwest. Shoppers from Canada and the states between Chicago and Denver traveled often to shop on the Nicollet mall. The retail offerings were extensive. All of the following retail stores were located on the Nicollet Mall in its “heyday.”

Department Stores – Daytons, Donaldsons, J.C. Penney, Powers

Women’s Merchandise – Harold’s, Jackson Graves, John W. Thomas, Albrechts, Peck and Peck, Bjorkmans, Wenders, Young Quinlan

Men’s Merchandise – Leimandt’s, Justers, Maurice L. Rothshild, Radins, Grodniks

Miscellaneous

  • Warner Hardware
  • Thiss (Luggage)
  • Anderson (Gifts)
  • Levoy’s (Decorator studio)
  • W.T. Grant, Woolworth’s, Kresge
  • Ohio Picture Frame (Gifts and Frames)
  • Amluxens (Fabrics)
  • Boutells (Home furnishings)

There were probably more but not still in my memory. I wasn’t and am not a shopper. Why are they all gone? As a former owner and manager of a shopping center (Calhoun Square), I have my ideas and explanations. See the following blog on the future of traditional retailing.