R.I.P. West Duluth ICO
The West Duluth ICO on Grand Avenue and 46th Avenue West has been torn down. A CVS pharmacy will be built in its place. I don’t have any ICO memories that are springing to mind, other than that one night in 2010 I decided to shoot a photo of it.
By the way, I think it might have technically been a Spur station, even though everyone called it ICO and there was an ICO sign on it. I’m not really sure how gas-station naming works.
I drove by it earlier this week. It wasn’t ever much to look at, but I’m glad to know what will be filling the empty space.
What would be really interesting (to Duluthophile nerds) would be to hear some stories and maybe see pics of the old IGA that was in that neighborhood.
I’m surprised they made it as long as they did. Didn’t seem like business had been very good for a long time. I used to go there as a teenager once the Milk House closed. I also have memories of Mr. Klun hanging there during Denfeld’s lunch break and smoking like a chimney.
Oh I spent many a lunch time back by the bathrooms in the “Cafeteria” that they had in that ICO. Too many frozen burritos.
The IGA was where I would buy my 4 long johns for a dollar and 2 Mr.Pibbs for a dollar and have that for lunch far too often. But it was the only thing that would fill you up when you only had 2 dollars a day for lunch.
I once put air in my tires there. Ah, the memories…
There was an IGA? I don’t remember that. All I remember is SuperValu.
There was an IGA in the West End; I don’t remember one in West Duluth either.
The IGA in the West End (aka West-Side Market) was on the corner of 28th Avenue West and 3rd Street. I think the West-Side Market sign is still on the building, even though it’s been closed for many years.
But that’s in another neighborhood.
Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST) – if we see big holes in the tarmac there, the soil has been contaminated with petrochemicals. Anyone know if the site has been tested chemically for this property transaction?
By law, it had to be tested. A sale would require a remediation plan.
@TimK: In that case, this sale is only good. CVS will have to clean up any mess left behind.
It isn’t always the buyer who has to clean it up, though that could have been negotiated in the sale.
Hey! The SA on the corner of Sup. St. and 12th(?) Ave E. is all dark and shut-down looking. Whasup with that?? Maybe that’s old news…?
I heard that the SA is closed because of the CVS going in that neighborhood too.
The ICO was a Clark station in the 60s across the street was Thorpe’s Super Value. And kiddie corner from ICOwhere Taco Johns is was Laurie gas station. On the corner of 28th and Grand was Gordys Super Value
@brautigan, Heather is correct. The entire Superior st. side of the block, actually, including the SA and the shopping center that includes Anytime Fitness and Jimmy John’s is planned to become a new CVS. Anytime Fitness is moving into the old Stewart’s down the street (they’ve been renovating that building since the fall).
Waaaaiiitttt…where’s Beijing going?!
Beijing will most likely join the Chinese Lantern and Joe Huie’s as fond memories of Duluth past.
Beijing has to survive. It has to.
Anytime Fitness is indeed moving to the old Stewart’s building.
No word on Beijing, yet.
Jimmy John’s is (supposedly) moving into Great Harvest’s sandwich space.
Marine General was offered the old Walgreens store, but I think they turned it down. No word yet on its disposition.
From the News Tribune, Nov. 7:
CVS follows Walgreens’ lead as it sites 3 stores in Twin Ports
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/214062/
It’ll be interesting to see CVS go head to head against one of the only companies in the United States that’s operating in the black.
So, CVS is building stores right across from Walgreens all over Duluth? How dumb. It would be nice if they’d build somewhere that made drug store access more convenient, instead of just right across from their competitor.
> It’ll be interesting to see CVS go head to head against one of the only companies in the United States that’s operating in the black.
Why is that interesting? The competition between CVS and Walgreens (and Target and Wal-Mart) takes place at a national level, not on Superior Street. Also, I believe CVS is profitable too… so… what do you mean?
Jerome, give that DNT article a read. Here’s a quote from it:
“Walgreens is known for picking the best locations in a city or town to locate their stores,” said Fein, who is president of Pembroke Consulting in Philadelphia. “When CVS analyzes traffic patterns, they’ll come to a similar conclusion as Walgreens. If you look at the locations they’ve chosen, there’s a lot of drive-by traffic that will attract people.”
It makes sense for CVS to build near Walgreen’s because Walgreen’s has their stores in really great locations.
Grand Avenue, Superior Street in East End (just blocks from the hospitals), and Tower Avenue are three of best locations I could think of for a pharmacy around here.
Yeah, those are good spots, but I think they’d be made less ideal due to the competition right across the street. Nothing new though, they do the same thing across the country so I guess they know what they’re doing.
They go where the business is. There are two hospitals within blocks of the locations that are being developed.
The Walgreens on Miller Trunk/Central Entrance/whateveryouwannacallit is in the middle of a major retail district.
Yeah, down in the cities the Walgreen’s/CVS are located on opposing corners all over. Ugh.
I noticed the gas station on 12th gone weeks ago when I was about to stop there for gas. Surprised it wasn’t listed in here sooner, nor was the loss of the long-time Hallmark (that was in the same strip with Bei Jing) documented.
I love Bei Jing as well and hope they do survive.
Just had some of their delicious dishes last night as a matter-of-fact.