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The Market Street Mall is up for sale again, and many people wonder what the future will hold for it.
The Independent published a top of the front page story a week ago in which mall owner Dan Kallevig confirmed that the property is for sale. He wants to continue operating his Kal's Motor Group business in the mall after the real estate is sold.
Kallevig, from Wadena, bought the Market Street Mall in 2023 when it came up for sale after a bankruptcy process. The fact that he wants to stay is a real plus. He's not simply walking away from it after three years.
It has Kal's and Maurices as businesses. The mall also houses Marshall's U.S. Department of Agriculture service center in the former grocery store property on the east end.
The corridors are quiet in 2026. You can almost hear echoes of the vibrant, active early days that began in the mid 1970s. I remember them well.
It was a treat when my mom or my dad took me to the mall, then known as the Marshall Square Shopping Center. It was a safe place for parents to bring kids and let them do some shopping in the adult world.
We often went to Woolworth's on the west end for ice cream. Woolworth's in the 1970s still had elements of its history as a "five and dime". The ice cream counter was part of that.
I also liked to walk down to the east end to see what was going on at the Tivoli Arcade. I was too young to play the games, but I could stand around for a minute or two to see the lights and hear the sounds. I imagined the day when I would play games such as Space Invaders as a teenager with plenty of quarters.
My favorite stop of all was the B. Dalton bookstore next to the J.C. Penney's front entrance. Sometimes mom or dad would buy me a book. I saved and bought seven Star Trek photo novels that I still have in my apartment. I also obtained my first classics, such as Tom Sawyer and The Call of the Wild.
It was fun to window shop in the mall. I remember the names of many of the stores. Examples include Ehlers, Wilson's, Kinney Shoes, Moray A, Radio Shack, Easy Street, Strawberry Fields, the Lean To, Hal's, and Crown Hallmark.
I was busier in high school and didn't spend much time at the mall, so I'm not sure when things started to slow down. The 1980s farm crisis undoubtedly played a role.
The mall also faced competition from large stores with their own buildings. They included Pamida, Shopko (originally Parade), K-Mart and then Walmart. From the beginning, these kinds of stores carried a wide variety of items, almost everything that could be found in a set of mall stores.
By the time Walmart expanded with a superstore, the Market Street Mall had dwindled to a handful of businesses. It became a mix of retail and non-retail, enjoying some success with tenants such as the ACMC clinic, USDA, Southwest West Central Service Cooperative, and Big Stone Therapy.
At the time of the bankruptcy several years ago, Christopher and Banks ceased operations and Glik's moved to the commercial location that also includes Ashley Home Store and Hobby Lobby. It left Maurices as the mall's only retail business.
It's hard to say what it will take to redevelop the Market Street Mall. It will take vision, more than just buying it at a bargain price, making a little money and then selling after several years.
There should be discussion about whether the vision should focus on specialty retail or office facilities. A third real possibility is studios for artists and artisans. In any case, the store spaces would become more marketable if at least several new enterprises can be added.
I know it won't be like it was when I was a kid. I'd be living in a dream world if I speculated that maybe the ice cream, arcade and bookstore could come back.
It needs something new, something that will give it a niche in the 21st century. Marshall has proven that it can attract new businesses, most recently Marshall's and Harbor Freight.
It might also be possible to give local residents who want to occupy mall space an opportunity. It would be great to offer low interest start-up loans, or maybe even deferred loans that are forgiven a little at a time (like 10 percent a year over 10 years as long as they stay in business).
The mall has advantages. There's its convenient location, ample parking, and a durable frame. I wish Kallevig and city officials good luck in finding a new owner who wants to build on that.
-- Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent