Comments on: Springbrook Mall: Coon Rapids, MN

By: The Old Scowl

The Old Scowl — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:06:56 +0000

COMB:
I had forgotten about that place. I think that dads of the Upper Midwest were drawn to that place. Some sort of evolutionary branch from the trunk of “guys being drawn to hardware stores” tendency. I recall COMB being the kind of place that made BANKS look high class.
I got a ten speed bike at COMB in the mid ’80s. My father was sold on it because it had an Avocet seat, which he claimed was a good seat. I guess the bike was fine, but a seat is no legit way to judge the whole. It was stolen about 6 years later in Robbinsdale on the day my little brother was borrowing my bike chain and lock. I guess it was the lucky day for that thief.

By: Abandoned Target Store: Coon Rapids, MN « Dumpy Strip Malls

Abandoned Target Store: Coon Rapids, MN « Dumpy Strip Malls — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:27:19 +0000

[...] the Target store’s old space — this is the new location of the Goodwill that was in the Springbrook Mall. There’s also a Big Lots. Oh [...]

By: Disco Studd

Disco Studd — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:06:10 +0000

My dad was a COMB junkie, so I know more about that store than I’d ever care to admit. We frequented the one by Brookdale quite often when we lived in Brooklyn Park (and the one in ‘Heights down on 44th and Central, which is now a Slumberland Outlet, I believe.) I think K&G resides on the site where the COMB in BC once stood. They had a Toys-R-Us there for a while, IIRC.

I can still remember some of the crap “we” bought at COMB back in the 80’s. $5 Atari 2600 games that nobody ever heard of (except once I managed to score a copy of Pitfall!) RC cars that would only steer in one direction, ratty cassette car stereos that produced more static than actual music (or it could’ve been that my dad didn’t know how to wire up a car stereo, IDK), telephones that would cut out on you mid-conversation, “mini” B&W TV’s that would blow an internal fuse after 20 minutes of viewing. High-quality stuff, to be sure!!!

My dad has since moved on to eBay to satisfy his craving for collecting useless, non-functioning junk, but that damn COMB still haunts my memories!!!

By: dumpystripmalls

dumpystripmalls — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:04:40 +0000

Oh my gosh! You remember COMB! I thought I was the only one who remembered that store. Even my mom, who would TAKE us there, doesn’t remember it. We went to the one in Brooklyn Center (I believe the building has been torn down) and the one near Lake Street in South Minneapolis. Your description of COMB, comparing it to stuff Tom Petters wouldn’t touch, was DEAD ON and made me laugh! Ha ha ha!

By: Disco Studd

Disco Studd — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:52:58 +0000

Man oh man how this hits me where it hurts! I was one of those dorks who saw Wayne’s World a dozen times after it came out (at least 3 times at Springbrook, 4 at 65-Hi Drive In, 2 at Apache, 2 at the old Northtown General Cinema.) Schwing, indeed! (I even died my mullet black and dressed up as Wayne Campbell for a Halloween party that year!)

Anywho, there are 2 “occupants” you forgot to mention that were once housed in the Springbrook Mall. First was a store called “COMB.” COMB was a chain of stores throughout the Twin Cities that sold merchandise Tom Petters wouldn’t dare touch (it was as if someone scoured the dregs of Petters Warehouse Direct, Jacobs Trading Company, and Brand Name Deals and put the crappiest crap of all the crap on sale.) It resided in the space once occupied by Goodwill. The second “occupant” was CR Billiards (which has subsequently moved into its own building next door to the mall.) My friends and I wasted many an after-school day (and even more money) hanging out there in the early 90’s (there and loitering at Piccadilly Circus in N-Town.)

As far as Coon Rapids goes, there are a few other “Dumpy” strip malls within its city limits. If you’ve noticed, within the last few years they’ve built a new “Lifestyle” center up near Round Lake Blvd, Main St, and Hwy 10 called “Riverdale Commons.” Many of the “Big Box” stores that anchor Riverdale Commons once resided in a cluster of strip malls along Coon Rapids Boulevard, that now sit barren and are the definition of “Dumpy.” Rainbow, Target, KFC, White Castle, and OCB all left for the shiny confines of “New” Coon Rapids, leaving behind a wasteland of strip mall drudgery. Half of the old Target now houses Goodwill, the old Rainbow now houses Big Lots, the KFC is a Smoke Shop, the Toxic Hell is a Fantasy Gifts, and the Whities sits empty.

Take a trip up there sometime, you’ll find some good fodder for your site!

Keep up the good work! I could write a book myself about my experiences at Brookdale, Village North, Terrace Mall, Northtown, Springbrook, and Apache Plaza in the 80’s and early 90’s…

By: The Old Scowl

The Old Scowl — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:06:50 +0000

A great tragedy happened to me at the Springbrook theater: Back to back I saw ‘Nuns on the Run’ and ‘Ernest goes to Jail’. It pretty much made me lose respect for Jim Varney until his stunning return to the limelight as some prince in ‘Roseanne’ that steals the heart of the sister of the title character.
The Goodwill has since moved up Coon Rapids Blvd. in Coon Rapids where the old Target used to be.
There used to be a Book bin used bookstore but it moved up to Blaine and then to the Riverdale Commons, where it is now lost in the modern day labyrinth of Knossos that has a sister complex in the Arbor Lake maze in Maple Grove. I’m not that adventurous to get cheap books when Half Price Books is a 100 yards from the old Bookbin site and sells those nifty LP frames so I can display those cool Molly Hatchet album covers I get there as well.

By: 10 Stores I Wish Were Still Around « Dumpy Strip Malls

10 Stores I Wish Were Still Around « Dumpy Strip Malls — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:38:43 +0000

[...] my poor mom is written about in this blog – so far, she’s deprived me of a slushie in Kmart…movies, and a wood-paneled mini van. But no, that’s really not the case [...]

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:56:55 +0000

I’m glad to see a new post!