ARROWHEAD CENTER
16th Street Southwest and 2nd Avenue Southwest
Ward County (Minot), North Dakota

The first mall-type center in the Peace Garden State was developed by Minot-based Forsberg, Incorporated. ARROWHEAD CENTER was built on an 8.7 acre parcel, located 1 mile west of downtown Minot, in an unincorporated section of Ward County. The shopping facility was eventually annexed into the city of Minot.

Encompassing approximately 69,500 leasable square feet, the mini mall was a fully-enclosed structure. It opened for business in mid-1962 and was anchored by a Tempo Discount Center and (12,600 square foot) Red Owl supermarket.

Stores operating in ARROWHEAD CENTER over the ensuing years included Arrowhead Record Discount Center, Arrowhead Drug, ABC Cleaners, a Ben Franklin variety store and Diamonds Department Store.

The Minot-based Investors Real Estate Trust acquired the complex in 1973. In 1976, a (10,500 square foot) Coast To Coast store was added to the south end of the complex. Piggly Wiggly took over the adjacent Red Owl space in 1982.

Meanwhile, a second community-class shopping center had been built. TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER {1.2 miles southeast, in Ward County (Minot)} was dedicated in May 1964. DAKOTA SQUARE {1.9 miles southeast, in Minot} opened in March 1980.

By the early 21st century, ARROWHEAD CENTER had evolved into more of an office complex. It housed various medical and dental practices, but still included a few retail stores. MarketPlace Foods, of Bemidji, Minnesota, set up shop (in the old Tempo space) in 1990. Ace Hardware moved into a section of the old Coast To Coast store.

The mall encountered severe damage as a result of the flooding of the Souris ["sore-is"] River, in June 2011. 4.6 million dollars worth of repairs were done in the aftermath. Most businesses resumed operation in March 2012, with MarketPlace Foods re-opening on April 4th. ARROWHEAD CENTER now encompassed 81,600 leasable square feet and housed seventeen offices and retail stores.

Sources:

http://www.minotmemories.com
https://www.bismarckcafe.com
https://iret1970.wordpress.com
https://activerain.com/blogsview/5167748/a-tour-of-the-arrowhead-shopping-center--minot-nd
https://www.crexi.com