Comments on: Abandoned Target Store: Coon Rapids, MN

By: Brooks Rownd

Brooks Rownd — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:42:20 +0000

YAY! This was my Target. In the picture I can see the place where I used to lock up my BMX bike around 1980. I’m embarrassed to say that I used to “hang out” in this area and Family Center Mall back in grade school. (good old LOJ) There was an arcade over in the strip mall part where I used to dump my allowance and gift money into video games like Defender, Robotron 2084, etc, and the McDonald’s nearby had cheap ice cream cones and Chicken McNuggets. (not as cheap these days) There was a place near the Target where we rode our BMX bikes in the woods. I took summer classes at the community college nearby, which is another place that is looking pretty run down.

You should definitely do Family Center Mall if it’s still standing. I stopped by there around 2004 to see what was left of it. My mother spent hours in the fabric store as I sulked in the hallway. There was a Red Owl, a gift/card store, a christian bookstore, a furniture place, a barber…and I can’t remember if there was anything else. A dry cleaners? It was like a trip to Hell for a 10 year old. When I visited in 2004 you could still see the dirt-shadow of the christian bookstore’s name/sign over the former storefront – kind of creepy.

By: mygypsynature aka Tracy Jo - 1961

mygypsynature aka Tracy Jo - 1961 — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:09:13 +0000

I’ve even got a cheery little story about this place – though it took a while to kick the brain into a gear that would pick up the memory – In 1977 I got my license to drive. …shudder… 16 is a little too young to let loose on the streets between Champlin and Coon Rapids – anyway – not that I’m proud of this by any means but once I was allowed to drive I drove like a little teenage bitchy, road rage hoodlum : ( For some reason I was tailgating, wicked tailgating – I think I was trying to see how close I could get to the next car – for whatever reason – and then I got around the vehicle and proceeded to drive like an asshole happy to be free of whatever was ‘holding me back’. I notice a car trying to catch up with me but I didn’t make eye contact or tried not to any way – I was just trying to get away or race with it, when I pulled into that Target store. The guy following me was a cop, an off duty one and he pulled up behind me so I couldn’t get out. He came up to my window and, rightly so, verbally kicked my ass, asked for my license and took it, he took it right away from me. He was so, so, so, so, disgusted and angry with me – he and his wife were going out to dinner – - – I come from a family of cops and was happy that my last name didn’t match with theirs. That’s the only story I have from that store and I don’t know if I ever even went in to the store after that I was (I wish) scared straight. I had to go to court with my parents and my dad made up some elaborate lie for me to tell the judge ( nice one dad ) and it worked. Today, I am a model citizen living in the sleepy little village of Escoheag, RI ; ) WITH a drivers license!

By: admin

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:22:31 +0000

@Jayson – sorry, just noticed your comment now! Nope, that wouldn’t have been me. I snapped these photos in May. I have another post coming up for the Maple Grove Target, but those pics were taken the first week of June, and I haven’t taken any other Target pictures since.

I try to take the pics as discretely and quickly as possible and then get the hell out of dodge. I get some VERY odd looks from people when I take pictures of buildings….it’s almost like me having a camera, taking pictures of buildings makes them nervous. If someone asks, I just say I’m testing out my camera, LOL

By: Tim G

Tim G — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:53:28 +0000

Jayson,
Snelling and Larp was a Shakey’s too – Falcon Heights store.

By: jayson

jayson — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:29:31 +0000

hey dumpy that wasnt you next to walgreens infront of the old target was it just a few days ago? there was a woman with a camara and might have been a note pad? standing in the shade? just curious! hows that family mall section going cant wait to read it….

By: 207Shawdy

207Shawdy — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:43:09 +0000

Living in Maine, this reminds me of the situations on Western Avenue in downtown Augusta and most of Lewiston/Auburn. While the uptown sections of both Auburn and Augusta are sprawling with big box stores, the old school shopping centers are dying and turning into complete ghost towns made up of discount stores and dusty K-Marts. Fellow Mainers will know what I’m talking about.

By: jayson

jayson — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:07:14 +0000

jensens sorry 4 got aobut this place! i do stop and get penuts from there! there penuts are great compare to targets or cubs this place is great. other then this store its a dump i wish coon rpaids would clean its self up

By: Disco Studd

Disco Studd — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:57:18 +0000

NORTHDALE PLAZA HAS TO GO?!?!? Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?!? Okay, the only reason worth keeping it is Jensen’s Foods, but really, the place isn’t THAT shitty. Just mostly vacant, but still, it ain’t like it’s one of those malls in Crooklyn Center or anything…

By: jayson

jayson — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:15:43 +0000

i remember shakeys pizza which they were still around i hate “big box” pizza well anyways! to the web master i guesss there use to be a strip mall where lifetime use to be it was called zayre shopping center. then kmart turned it into village 10. u should start a fourm on your site! there are 100’s of places in the anoka county area that everyone could talk about also another strip mall u left out is the northdale plaza that dump needs to go away! haha keep up the good work and look forard to more replys! also anyone remember the pizza place off of snelleing and larpenteur i remember it use to be sumthing but what?

By: Real Estate

Real Estate — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:31:52 +0000

Target in MG closed west of 94 because Ryan(the developer) promised them prime site and new Arbor Lakes storefronts along with a hospital to get them to move east of 94. It will be a big deal and good location once the hospital gets going in Dec 2009. However, the economy has changed the face of real estate (especially retail) for the next five to seven years — it takes that long to plan, permit develop and build-out centers… Big box Slumberland has already opened and closed at “The Grove”. The ghostly empty storefronts are just an indication of too many retail stores and an exhausted consumer.

Being in the industry, its fun to read the consumer perspective at dsm.com.
Mike