WILLMAR — The days of the Kandi Mall are over but it is just the beginning for Uptown Willmar.
According to Andy Weiner, president of RockStep Capital who have owned the Willmar shopping hub on South First Street since 2015, the new name is an illustration of the transition the Kandi Mall and others like it are undergoing in the ever-changing retail landscape. The mall first opened in 1973.
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WILLMAR—The JCPenney store in the Kandi Mall in Willmar is one of 154 stores the company is closing, it was announced Thursday. The company filed for bankruptcy last month.
J.C. Penney Company Inc. announced Thursday the first step in its “store optimization strategy,” and identified the first phase of 154 store closures, including Willmar’s. Other Midwest closings include Coon Rapids, Eden Prairie and Maple Grove in Minnesota, Brookings, South Dakota, and Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. No
Businesses in the region that have been shuttered for weeks by the pandemic are gearing up to reopen their doors, but they don’t expect things will suddenly be back to normal Monday morning.
To say that the owners of Mill Pond Mercantile in New London are eager to reopen their gift and home decor shop would be an understatement.
“I cannot tell you how thrilled and relieved we are,” said Ginny Knapp, who owns the popular store with co-owner Anita Stulen.
“This is our livelihood. This is how
Patina Marquet is an occasional gift and furniture consignment store in Willmar’s Kandi Mall featuring decor, clothing, jewelry and more. The store also offers workshops and space for special events, and owners Tanya and Terry Smith also organize seasonal markets throughout the mall.
WILLMAR—The owners of Patina Marquet, Tanya and Terry Smith, want their store to be more than just another store. They want it to be a community gathering place, a place where people can not only find unique
WILLMAR—The Kandi Mall’s southside anchor location has stood empty since 2012 when Kmart closed. For the past four years, Kohl’s has been eyeing Willmar as a possible location for a new store, according to Andy Weiner, CEO of RockStep Capital, owners of the mall.
“We are thrilled to have Kohl’s open up a 40,000-square-foot store in the former Kmart building,” Weiner said in an email to the West Central Tribune. “They believe they will have a very strong store
WILLMAR – It looks like the rumors are true. National retailer Kohl’s is coming to Willmar’s Kandi Mall.
Mayor Marv Calvin made the announcement at the end of Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“Kohl’s has pulled a building permit from the city of Willmar,” Calvin said.
City Planner Sarah Swedburg said the building permit was taken out by Kohl’s last week and is for work to split the former Kmart location in the Kandi Mall into two different retail spaces, with Kohl’s planning to fill
WILLMAR—While he wasn’t able to give any specifics about possible new stores opening up in Willmar’s Kandi Mall, Andy Weiner, president of RockStep Capital, the owner of the shopping center, did say there has been movement. This is especially true for the empty Kmart portion of the mall, which has stood vacant since 2012.
“We have some major national tenants for the Kmart,” Weiner said. “One which could open next year.”
What Weiner would say of the two retailers
WILLMAR—Reel-Lux Cinemas, once it reopens and renovates the Kandi Mall movie theater, will offer movie goers a luxury theater experience while keeping prices at their current levels.
“We will not raise them,” said Reel-Lux Chief Information Officer Joseph Morelli told the West Central Tribune Wednesday.
Reel-Lux Cinemas, a new venture in the growing luxury movie theater business, wants to bring theaters with expanded menus and higher-end seating to mid-level markets across the nation,
WILLMAR—There is movement at the Kandi Mall, as a construction crew has begun digging into the parking lot, to make room for a new retail building.
This additional building is part of the larger renovation project being planned by mall owner RockStep Capital.
This new retail space will be located between Tires Plus and the former Pizza Hut. It will have three units for tenants. The end caps will be 3,500 square feet and 1,800 feet, with the middle unit coming in at 1,200 square feet. Willmar Planning
WILLMAR—While the Kandi Mall in Willmar has so far dodged any store closings in recent months, Andy Weiner, president of RockStep Capital, who owns the retail center, warned the Willmar Planning Commission that the mall could be facing an unsure future.
“This property is too big for current and future retail in Willmar. That is a fact,” Weiner said during a conference call with the commission on May 10.
Department stores and national retail brands are struggling with plummeting sales,
