Zayre’s Shoppers’ City Discount Department Store in West Duluth
By Paul Lundgren on Dec 1, 2009 in History
A new comment to the “Spooky Menards” post from March has inspired this post, specifically about Shoppers’ City. I think there have been some other posts in the past that veered into Shoppers’ City stories as well, so it’s probably time to give the place its proper memorial.
The West Duluth Memories page on Facebook has a bunch of old West Duluth photos, including some of Shoppers’ City, posted by Roger Nesje.
Shopper’s City was a department store in West Duluth, located at 50th Ave. W. & Wadena St., where a Menards store is now. It was part of a small chain of discount stores — the other locations were in Twin Cities suburbs (Brooklyn Center, St. Louis Park, Columbia Heights and Maplewood).
The West Duluth Shoppers’ City opened in 1961. The location was previously the main plant of a refrigerator manufacturer, Coolerator, which closed in 1955.
In the early 1970s, Shoppers’ City, Inc., sold its stores to the Massachusetts-based chain Zayre’s. The West Duluth store closed in the mid-1980s and was replaced by a Kmart. In 1991, Kmart moved to its current location in the Spirit Valley Shopping Center. Menards moved in shortly afterward, remodeling in 2003 to expand the building’s square footage from 119,000 to 225,000.
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It was Zayre’s Shoppers’ City. I believe it started out as just Shoppers’ City in the 1960s but Zayre’s bought the chain in the 70s. Basically, it was a lot like a Super WalMart. I grew up a block from there — on 51st Avenue West near the billboard in that picture. You could buy anything at that place. Groceries. Tires. Clothing. Even monkeys.
Barrett Chase | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplyI remember the monkeys! They were in the pet department, right next to the record department. I bought my first Beach Boys record there. It was a 45; I think I paid 49 cents. I lived on 45th and Oneota; went to Shopper’s City often. What fun!
PJ | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplyWait. Oneota? Tell us about the scary wooden bridge.
Barrett Chase | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplyI remember one poor monkey there whose behavior resembled the “Man from Nantucket” in the infamous limerick, if you get my drift.
Nostalgic | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplyIs that a “poor” monkey or a lucky monkey?
Paul Lundgren | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplySo many prisoners wish they shared his talent.
Barrett Chase | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplyHe was poor because he was a captive. He was lucky because he was limber. I don’t remember him being a primate Priapus.
Nostalgic | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplySloppy submarine sandwiches – created by the Shopper’s City or the K-mart? I can’t remember…..
heysme | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplyBut I do remember the monkeys.
I never ate at the Shoppers’ City cafe, but I know that Kmart served sloppy subs. They were very oniony.
The Kmart cafe was immediately to the right as you walked in up the ramp (directly across from the automotive pit). I want to say the Shoppers’ City cafe was at the top of the ramp and to the left, across from the checkout counters. Is that correct?
Also, entering and exiting through the back door, with its one checkout counter, always felt kind of weird.
Barrett Chase | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplyThat was weird, I remember that. It looked lonely & creepy that checkout at the back.
My co-worker, who grew up in West Duluth, and I have talked about Shopper City, how our parents would shop groceries while us kids would play in the toy section. Nobody ever bothered or approached us. Big toy section, if I remember, with toys already pulled out of their packages so you could play with them & nobody ever seemed to clean up that area.
One time when I was with friends at a bar in St. Paul, one of us mentioned we were from Duluth & this random patron at another part of the bar yells out “Shopper City!”
Liz | Dec 1, 2009 | ReplyI wish I remembered the monkeys! Everything else, I’m with you even us east Duluthers shopped there quite a bit, you could get everything, after all and it was quicker on the bus than the mall.
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Also that name … can’t help but think of Dr. Zaius http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgzEfV3QbCU
wildgoose | Dec 2, 2009 | ReplyRandom note:
In the mid-1960s, it was against the law for stores to sell stuff on Sundays. Shoppers’ City and other stores were busted numerous times for violating this statute. Shoppers’ City seemed to get the most attention from Police, and eventually charged the city of Duluth with discriminatory prosecution.
I don’t know how all that played out. I wasn’t born yet.
Other random note: The store manager in 1965 was John J. Ormand, Jr.
Paul Lundgren | Dec 2, 2009 | ReplyLiz, we had a Shoppers’ City in St. Paul. I grew up on St. Paul’s East Side–a place much like West Duluth, so perhaps Shoppers’ City stores were designed to go into neighborhoods a few rungs down the economic ladder?
I too was often dropped off in the pets department (but don’t recall any monkeys–nor any other animals–performing autofellatio) and also bought my first record there: Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic” in 1975 (I was 11).
Tony D. | Dec 2, 2009 | ReplyPaul, this may be a dumb question — especially since you’ve already indicated you weren’t even born yet — but how did Shoppers’ City expect to be open on a Sunday and not get busted for selling stuff? Were you supposed to just browse on Sundays and come back during the week to purchase your items?
Stupid blue laws.
cork1 | Dec 2, 2009 | ReplyI don’t quite get it myself, but I suppose it was legal to be open and have employees stocking shelves and whatnot, without selling anything. But I think Shoppers’ City and the other stores basically treated it like a normal day in order to challenge the law.
Paul Lundgren | Dec 2, 2009 | ReplyBarrett, it wasn’t really “scary,” but just a big wooden bridge at about 48th Avenue West and Oneota Street, near (if you looked to the right while biking west) Shopper’s City (now Menard’s.) I rode my bike across that bridge a lot when I was a kid (still remember the sliver I picked up as I ran my hand along the railing) and it was just a part of daily life. The SCARY part was the green “lake” under the bridge, which I remember as a bright fluorescent pond that never seemed to move. What was that stuff?
PJ | Dec 3, 2009 | ReplyThe bridge was before my time. I guess from stories I always assumed it was rickety, but I guess not.
Barrett Chase | Dec 3, 2009 | ReplyTony,
Oh, okay, so hence the patron in St. Paul saying that. Interesting. So there was a Shopper’s City there too.
Liz | Dec 6, 2009 | ReplyYou were very lucky to be playing unsupervised in the toy dept. A young boy was molested in the bathroom at Shopper’s City.
Sharon Trudell | Jan 24, 2010 | ReplyThis is too funny, I grew up with Shopper City, I remember being excited to look at the Sunday ad, then racing down there to buy my new three in one stereo complete with built in 8 track player, I heard a rumor that the mice they found in the back of the store were put in the pet shop for sale…..true or not I do not know. I also always wanted to ride down the thing they put the groceries down to go out side. Anyone else star at that when they were little?
Brian from Proctor | Jan 28, 2010 | ReplyThanks for putting up this site. I love it!
Hah, yeah the conveyer belt for the groceries was cool, we would drive the car to parcel pick up, display our numbers from the bin and the guys would load the bags into the trunk. I remember gas at 25 cents a gallon. It was fun to look at the gym set hanging from the ceiling while mom & dad checked out (and wishing I could get that new gym set).
Debbie | Jan 28, 2010 | ReplyThis sight really made me laugh. I too remember playing in the toy department while my mom & dad shopped. I remember my mom with a stack of coupons, you could give them any coupon whether you bought that item or not. I do not remember the monkeys but did spend some time in the pet store. I bought an Eric Clapton album there (with the song cocaine on it) Had to slip that out without dad seeing!!! Does anyone remember when a car that crashed through the doors? I can not remember if it was the front or back doors. This sight is awesome!!!!
Cheryl from Saginaw | Jan 28, 2010 | ReplyIt was the front door and didn’t a lady get killed??
Brian | Jan 28, 2010 | ReplyDoes anyone have pictures of the inside of the store? That would be fun to see.
Brian | Jan 28, 2010 | Replyhttp://www.areavoices.com/attic/?blog=47913
Brian from Proctor | Jan 29, 2010 | ReplyAnother Blast from the past! although I do not remember going to Goldfines as much as Shoppers City, this sight brings back some more childhood memories.
Shoppers City, Shoppers City, Shoppers Shitty, How many times can you say Shoppers City?
Cheryl from Saginaw | Jan 30, 2010 | Reply