A few businesses in Prairie Hills Mall in Dickinson are looking to change hands, including the mall itself, and one tenured occupant received new owners Monday.
Joan's Hallmark Shop, previously owned by Brian Bolinske of Williston, had been in Bolinske's family since 1983 after his father purchased the former Evenson's store, he said in September.
The store was then named after his late sister, Joan.
"It's a profitable store, I've just got other things I want to take care of more," Bolinske said. "I just have other things I need to get off my plate."
Bolinske said new owners were slated to take over Monday and he feels the store is in good hands.
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Those hands belong to Bob and Vicki Gillen of Dickinson.
It is unclear if the store will remain operating under the same moniker.
Calls to the Gillen's went unreturned.
The mall is also for sale and has been on the market with NAI Welsh Commercial Real Estate Services since June, mall Manager Peggy O'Brien said in an e-mail.
Welsh is based in Minnetonka, Minn.
Opened Oct. 26, 1978, the facility features about 267,500 square feet, O'Brien said.
Welsh's Web site lists the property sale price as about $27 per square foot, with the property being "offered free and clear of debt."
It is unclear why the mall was put up for sale.
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"We do not discuss potential asset sales," O'Brien said.
In the mall's tenure, it has seen one other owner.
Larry Kostelecky of Dickinson, mall founder and former owner, said when the mall was constructed, Herberger's and J.C. Penney Co. had been secured as tenants, but developers could not secure Kmart so a deal was made with Cleveland-based Developers Diversified Realty.
"When we made that deal the mall itself was built on a 50-50 situation," Kostelecky said. "We held onto our 50 percent until about 1999 ... so about 10 years ago, they called us and they bought us out."
Kostelecky said while over the years the mall has seen many changes in occupancy, it has managed to sustain itself.
"We've been very fortunate," Kostelecky said. "The mall's been here for 30 years and we haven't lost any of the anchors. There's been quite a turnover within the actual smaller stores and whatnot, but we seem to always be able to replace them and all these years it's been a pretty healthy mall and it will continue now with all the oil activity and so forth. I can see nothing but a bright future for it."
The Pretzelmaker, a mall food stand, is also listed for sale in the April issue of Real Estate Preview.
