WESTRIDGE MALL: FERGUS FALLS, MINNESOTA
Sam Woolever's Commentary:
Posted March 20, 2004 (user submitted)
I remember going to this mall while I was growing up, and have seen it decline over the years. The Westridge mall was built in 1978. The anchor stores were a Woolworth's, J.C. Penney's, Red Owl Grocery, and Herberger's. It also had many of the smaller stores that you would find in a mall. There were also quite a few restauraunts, such as a fast food place (the name escapes me) a sit down cafe (I never ate there, but I remember it being really dark and smokey) a snack shop/ice cream parlor, and a Godfather's Pizza. The mall also had a 2 screen movie theater. The Red Owl went out of business in the late 80's-early 90's and the store stood vacant for many years. Around 1996 a telemarketing company moved into the empty space, but I think they may have since left. The Woolworth's left around 1995, and that also stood vacant for many years. J.C. Penney's went out in 2001. They opened a catalog desk in the back of a baseball card shop, but the original store still stands empty. Herberger's, at
the center of the mall, is the only anchor store left. The movie theater added on around 1996, turning into a 5 screen. As the other anchors left, the stores around them either quit or moved towards the center of the mall.
Today, most of the stores left are in the center of the mall, mostly between the theater and the Herberger's. The J.C. Penney's and the Red Owl stand vacant, and the Woolworth's wing was torn down in 2001, and a Home Depot was built there. What's left is the Herberger's, movie theater, a baseball card shop/J.C. Penney's catalog, Hallmark, sandwich/coffee shop, musical instrument store, jewelry store, walk in clinic, hamberger stand, Cost Cutters, and G.N.C. An early Childhood/Family Education facility is moving out this summer (2004) Other stores that have left are a shoe store, Godfather's Pizza (moved offsite), insurance company, eyeglasses store, a cafe, another jewelry store, a candy store, a couple of clothing stores (Maurice's was one of them), and a western store. There have been amny other stores aqlso, but these are the ones I remeber. There have also been some quick lived flea market type set-ups in some of the vacant stores.
Not too many people are in the Westridge Mall. You only really go there if you know what you want, and don't really bother to stop at any of the other stores. The hall is sparse and institutional like, with no color and lined with vacant stores behind roll-down bar doors. While it had a healthy heydey in the 80's and early 90's, now it probably wouldn't be a place to go on a first date (or any date for that matter.)
Links:
http://www.ottel.com/westridge/default.htm - Mall Home Page
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Joel Weber’s Commentary:
User submitted Jul 2007I have a small amount of insight on the further decline of the Westridge Mall in Fergus Falls, MN. I have lived in Fergus Falls for over 17 years, and I now work at the Westridge Cinema 5 movie theater as a part time second job. First of all, the "Card Shop" was actually a Biffleys, which was a novelty/gag store that recently moved downtown. Godfathers Pizza has since moved out of the building and built new just outside of the Mall parking lot. Carlson music went out of business years ago. The sit-down cafe that you referred to was actually called the Hamburger Hamlet. It has gone through many owners in the past few years, and will no doubt be going out of business soon. The only stores left are Herbergers (which has since closed is juniors and mens formal wings), The Hamburger Hamlet, Hallmark, The movie theater, Dave P
eters Jewellers, LA nails, and Radio Shack. These seven stores make up less than a fourth of the mall's full capacity. Dave Peters Jewellers is doing well, as is the movie theater. Hallmark is doing fair as well. Herbergers mysteriously stays afloat, probably due exclusively to the seasonal sales it conducts. The Hamburger Hamlet is barely holding out. Radio Shack is still fairly new, and probably will not make it. This is the fourth location that they have been at since I moved here in 1990. Their prices are absolutely ridiculous, as you can find Identical merchandise, such as cameras and high-definition televisions, for literally a third of the price at the local Target store. LA nails is one of two nail salons in the city currently, which is vital to it's survival. This is probably the biggest joke of a mall that I have seen in my entire existence, and it is only going downhill. The parking lot runs at literally less than 1/100th of it's capacity on a day to da