Grand Cities Mall - History

History

Location of Grand Cities Mall

Originally called South Forks Plaza, the mall was built in stages. Kmart was opened on February 26, 1964, before the rest of the mall, which was built over the summer. Sears opened its location in the mall on October 8, 1964. It was the first enclosed shopping mall in the city of Grand Forks. For most of its life, the mall was called South Forks Plaza and was anchored by Kmart and Sears. Until 1973, the mall was in two wings that were not accessible to each other from the inside. Sears and most of the stores fronted onto one wing. Most of these stores also had their own separate entrances from the outside. The Kmart wing also had a coffee shop, a right-wing bookstore, a record store accessible by a spiral staircase, and a number of businesses not typically located in shopping centers, including a portrait photographer. The center of the mall, connecting the two wings, opened in November 1973. Another wing was built to the west and opened in 1977.

The property was acquired by J. Herzog & Sons, Inc. in 1998. The old "South Forks Plaza" name was subsequently dropped and some renovations took place. In 2000, Sears left the mall and moved to the newer and larger Columbia Mall. The empty Sears space at the Grand Cities Mall was divided up into several smaller stores including a local furniture store, and a Family Dollar. Recently, Burgraaf's Ace Hardware opened at the mall.

The Grand Cities Mall has had a hard time adjusting to increased competition within the city of Grand Forks. The Columbia Mall opened in 1978 and the Grand Forks Marketplace mall opened in 2001. Today, the mall usually has several vacant spots and has had a hard time holding on to some of its long-time tenants.

The Grand Cities Mall contains many tenants that are not usually located in shopping malls, including Hope Evangelical Covenant Church, a rock climbing wall, a dance studio, and the local Motor Vehicle Department office.

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