BEMIDJI -- Owners of Bemidji鈥檚 Dairy Queen restaurants announced this week that they will close their Paul Bunyan Mall location.
The news came in afternoon. Owner Mike Magnan said he and his daughter, Jamie, have decided not to renew their lease with the mall and will close up shop later this month. He said they hope to open the Lakeside DQ location along the south shore of Lake Bemidji by April 1, and even earlier if weather permits. Gift cards and certificates will be honored at that location.
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The mall DQ will be open through Valentine鈥檚 Day, but will close shortly after that, according to the post.
"What we鈥檙e going to do is just get the mall store cleaned up and get out of here," Magnan said, "then get ready to open the Lakeside, and do some thinking over the summer to see where we want to go. I know everybody鈥檚 wondering what we鈥檙e going to do. Right now we don鈥檛 know, and that鈥檚 really where we鈥檙e at."
Magnan has owned the Lakeside Dairy Queen since 1985 and added the Paul Bunyan Mall store in 1987. Traffic at the mall has slowed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anchor store Herberger's closed in 2018 and has not been replaced. Clothing chain Christopher & Banks announced recently it will close its store in the mall as well.
"We were toying with the idea of not renewing our lease anyway, and doing something different," Mike Magnan said. "So COVID came along when our lease was up, and it was kind of the push we needed to not renew. You鈥檙e always wondering if something great is going to come into the mall and things are going to change. But it鈥檚 a morphing type of thing."
Since the announcement was made, support for the business has been strong. While Magnan said there are no immediate plans for expansion, he has been encouraged by the feedback. Many of the nearly 100 Facebook comments that had been posted as of Friday morning supported the business, and some hoped for a location that could accommodate indoor service and a drive-through option.
"The last couple of days have been really good," he said Friday. "It鈥檚 a little slower today with the cold weather, but the two days before that are probably the best two days we鈥檝e had all year, including 2020."
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Here is the text of the Facebook post:
鈥淗ello all! The time has come to make an announcement about our location in the Paul Bunyan Mall. We have decided not to renew our lease and will be closing the Mall DQ location permanently sometime within the week after Valentine鈥檚 Day of this month. We are unsure of an exact date at this time so please check with us closer to that time if you鈥檙e looking to stop in. We will definitely be open through Feb. 14th!
鈥淲e would like to send out our sincerest gratitude to all of our employees and also the customers who came in and supported us throughout the past 30+ years that we have been in the Paul Bunyan Mall. And also send out a special thank you to the local management in the Paul Bunyan Mall.
鈥淲e do not have any immediate plans at this time, as far as opening a new location or expanding the Lakeside DQ goes. However, we will be hiring and getting ready to open the Lakeside DQ very soon. So keep an eye out for that if you or someone you know is interested in joining our team!
鈥淕ift cards/certificates are still good at the Lakeside DQ and the cards only are good at any Dairy Queen location.
鈥淲e will continue to be able to provide you with cakes and Novelties (Dilly Bars, Buster Bars and Stars) for a period of time after we close. Please call or check in with us if that鈥檚 something you鈥檙e looking for.
鈥淎gain, thank you to all for the support and we hope to see you all soon whether it be for a last trip to the Mall DQ or at the Lakeside DQ!!鈥�
