The revival of Marshfield Mall
Kohl’s to open Sept. 25
By Kris Leonhardt
Editor
MARSHFIELD — The opening of Kohl’s, set for Sunday, Sept. 25, will usher in a new era for the Marshfield Mall.
From then to now
In 1978 a group of local businesses banded together to build a new indoor shopping center on the north side of Marshfield. The move not only addressed the new shopping trend crisscrossing the nation but provided needed tax revenue in the city as well.
When the Northway Mall opened its doors in 1979, it was home to 36 businesses, with Prange’s, Younker’s predecessor; Kmart; and JC Penney serving as anchors.
Though the mall ownership changed, the center remained known as the Northway Mall while maintaining a steady flow of business and stability.
“Up until the 1990s, the mall was pretty much 100 percent full,” said Marshfield Mall General Manager Terry Linduski.
In October 1994 Kmart added on to its store, expanding the shopping center to 280,000 square feet.
“Then things shifted a little,” added Linduski. “Kmart went into a bankruptcy and reorganization nationwide, and they closed their store here, which was the entire end of the mall, and that caused a drop in traffic.”
Kmart’s departure left a 90,000-square-foot empty space. The space was later filled by Steve & Barry’s, which went out of business as well. Again, the mall was without a third anchor.
In 2003 an Eau Claire-based group bought the shopping center; added a new façade and food court area, increasing the square footage to over 299,000; and renamed the mall the Shoppes at Woodridge.
Sitting with a large percentage of empty space, the mall struggled to gain its footing.
In 2010 a group of local businessmen and merchants purchased the shopping center, and in the following year, the mall welcomed the Furniture & Appliance Mart/Ashley Furniture Homestore as its third anchor.
That same year, mall management held a contest for the renaming of the facilities.
“We wanted to have the involvement of the community,” said Linduski.
With nearly 100 suggestions that the shopping center be called The Marshfield Mall or simply Marshfield Mall, the facility found its new name.
The new owners then sought community input on ways to enhance the shopping experience and, in a partnership with the Marshfield Clinic, introduced a two-story playland.
“We did surveys, and Kohl’s was always the top requested store,” recalled Linduski.
The mall management worked multiple years to attract the retail outlet, and in 2016 they found success.
The recent construction of the Kohl’s addition has brought the mall up to nearly 325,000 square feet.
A fresh atmosphere
On Sept. 25, the Marshfield Mall will welcome a fourth anchor store as Kohl’s opens its doors. A ribbon cutting will follow on Friday, Sept. 30, with a grand opening on Oct. 1.
In conjunction with the Kohl’s opening, several resident stores have been busy improving their facilities, including existing anchor stores Younkers, JC Penney, and Furniture & Appliance Mart.
“The others wanted to have a first-rate store,” explained Linduski.
The Marshfield Mall will be hosting a grand opening event from Oct. 15 through Nov. 19 to usher in the enhanced shopping center and its new offerings.
Visit marshfieldmall.com for more information.
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