HarMar Mall (Roseville, MN) - dead or alive?

Is HarMar dead? Ask a mall walker who has watched shops disappear and they might tell you "Yes", but if you only visit the anchors and restaurants, everything would seem fine. The anchors are all filled and there are plenty of cars in the parking lot.
Come learn about HarMar's history while we take a tour of the mall and even explore the "secret" second floor!
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[@penbucket]

That rock shop has got to be one of the most unique stores I've seen in any of the malls you've filmed. I really want to stop by there- I drive by once every couple months and had no idea it was there. And it still is according to their website. GREAT video.

[@katiefuery6183]

I own the Merle Norman Cosmetics. I have been here 30 years and I have seen most of the changes. We are the oldest existing store here.

[@R.J.1]

I remember that. And Fanny Farmer was right across the hall I believe.

[@Killian-ou3gv]

Ha! I saw Gettysburg there as a kid, for the first time as well! However, for myself, seeing that film truly fanned the flames of my passion into history, American and otherwise! From then on, even through my undergraduate degree, became a life-long pursuit! I even bought my "Civil War Dictionary" from Barnes and Noble there that same day! That book, with very creased spine, still sits prominently on my bookshelf. Thanks so much for the video and for sharing the history of this place!

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you for sharing your memories. I would probably love watching Gettysburg in theaters today. Heck, I saw a French movie where people did nothing but talk about their love lives with 4 hours and NO intermission, so Gettysburg doesn't sound so bad. My dad is still a Civil War buff to this day.

[@ccarmean1968]

I remember a short lived Mars Music. At the time it was a larger showroom than guitar center across the street. I don’t know why it folded, but I remember they almost exclusively sold higher end guitars, rather than Squier and Epiphone.

[@aaron74]

OMG, yes! I forgot about that place! They immediately preceded Barnes & Noble, I think. They came in after Petters Warehouse closed (which was such a janky place, and for good reason).

[@Worces2000]

I noticed Staples is now closed when I was in the area a week or two ago

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

You forgot about an office superstore that was in the Cub space. That was not a Highland Superstore I think. There was a TJ Max there and a Christian Bookstore there, which was previously in the old Down in the Valley Music store or something like that. That office superstore lasted only about a year in about 1993.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

That "secret 2nd floor" was the 2nd floor on the old TCF Bank that was an original tennant.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

Snyder's closed before they turned it into a shoe store? Then it became Barnes & Noble sometime in the mid 1980s. Har Mar had a B. Dalton's book store up until the early 1990s. It was slow traffic from the mid 1980s onward.

[@aaron74]

Nah, that Barnes & Noble in Har Mar opened in like 2000, '01, or '02 I think.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

@@aaron74 You are right.

[@melbytvenge]

Went there alot when I was a kid.

[@monkeywkeys3916]

Pharrell's was on The Profit reality show. It didn't last long. Closed, in California.

[@TheFlowerGirl13]

HarMar used to have a weird pet store also

[@PaleOpal21]

The pet store was closed after city council outlawed pet stores in Roseville. The owner had been abusing animals for decades and the council looked the other way until people began protesting and it was picked up by the media and they were forced to do something.

[@TheFlowerGirl13]

@@PaleOpal21 I figured. I just thought it was weird

[@TheFlowerGirl13]

@@PaleOpal21 god that's shitty

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I did read something about that. There's still a pet store in Northtown Mall that seems a little sketchy.

[@TheFlowerGirl13]

@@YodelingLoonRetail Gross, really?)

[@R.J.1]

This mall was so fun. My grandparents lived half mile away. 2 movie theaters, the front one had the cascading lights and was old school glorious. In early 90s there was a arcade on the east of the mall that was awesome. There was a sports shop where you could buy fitted MLB hats, then you'd get them or a t shirt airbrushed at a kiosk outside of the arcade. Marshalls, Bishops Buffet, Radio shack, famous footwear, the pet store with the talking parrot and eventually LeAnn Chin were memorable. Oh, and you could take karate classes in the basement in the 80s.

[@hamsterdiving7593]

Thanks so much for the trip down Har Mar Mall memory lane... ❤ Oh my gosh, *sooo* many memories... I started going there with my family when I was five; that was shortly after they'd opened. I remember the long tables in the main grand hallway filled with boxes and boxes of multi-colored, live baby chicks during Easter. I remember my baby brother at the time wandering off and disappearing, not once but twice... The small food counter in Snyder's drugstore right near the outside entrance. I bought my first bottle of frosted nail polish there... I also bought my first-ever albums with my baby-sitting money at Kresge's -- Donny Osmond's solo debut and The Partridge Family's debut album. Kresge's is also where I shoplifted a paperback copy of "The Exorcist" in 1973. And -- "Click-Clacks"; they were all the rage at the time until they were banned for causing injuries, lol... I bought my canoe paddles and socks and boots at the Boy Scout Supply store for summer camp. At JC Penney's, I paid $11.00 for the most adorable multi-colored suede Oxfords that had floral appliques on the sides, in 1974 My friends and I would walk those steps down to the "basement" looking for other kids who had clandestine cigarettes we could bum... 😅 Yep, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor where they'd RUN out with the "Zoo" hoisted between the rungs of a ladder, sirens blaring. We'd go there after high school drama rehearsals. One night, they slipped, and the big silver Zoo bowl crashed to the floor, ice cream and little plastic monkeys everywhere... I adored the brand new Har Mar theater. That's where I watched the premiere of "2001: A Space Odyssey". The beautiful Italian chandeliers and the coolest restrooms with each stall a different 70s mod primary color with matching sink and carpet... Wow, I could go on and on. A lot of firsts happened for me there, and while I lived within walking distance of both the Har Mar and the new Rosedale Mall, I think I spent more time at the Har Mar. It was my second home... I hope it lives on forever

[@Woo.f32]

My great grandpa started that mall. Was passed down to my great grandmas son who was not related to my great grandpa.

[@mikeciresi3697]

I was in the mall when the Tornado hit, that was crazy.

[@brooksrownd2275]

I loved your little tour. Har Mar was a very modest mall around 1980, yet it had suprisingly good things going for it that helped it hold its own against big dog Rosedale down the road throughout the 1980s. I actually have more and better memories of Har Mar than of Rosedale! There was a good local-style hobby store near where you entered the mall at the beginning of the video, and I spent a lot of time and money in there as a kid while my mother shopped. Models, games, D&D, etc. On the opposite end of the mall was a pretty good video arcade, where I pumped tons of quarters into the Red Baron arcade machine, and watched other people play the newfangled laser disc game Dragon's Lair. On my way from the hobby store to the arcade somewhere in the main hall I'd purchase candy like giant chewy SweetTarts. Across from the video arcade was a little Radio Shack for buying some nerdy things. There was also a record store in the main hall (Great American Music?) where I bought some of my teenage metal albums on good old vinyl, which I still have. Of course we also went to movies in the Har Mar theater, and last but not least my favorite restaurant was right next to Har Mar - the Ground Round, back when you could still throw the peanut shells on the floor all you wanted! Har Mar was a surprisingly good mall.

[@naddeer1821]

Lotsa fun/Circus was the place to be for a Roseville kid in the 80's !

[@PetertheShakeMan]

I love going to HarMar. I didn't know there was a second floor and all that history of the mall.

[@PaleOpal21]

I have been coming to Har Mar since I've been a teen 35 years and I live a mile away. I could tell you plenty about this place. New owners took over during the last recession and the current owner kicked out all of the smaller tenants that had been in the mall from 25 - 40 years. The few that remained left due to outrageous rent and poor management/ownership. They also stopped the weekend antique shows, sport card and gem shows. Refused to let the Roseville school system display student art in the Spring which occurred for decades. Also fired the security company and brought in substandard company because they didn't want to pay. Crime in this place is out of control. They have done nothing to improve this place and obviously just use it for a tax break.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

That's horrible to hear. I love when malls have shows and pop-up flea markets in them (even if it makes filming impossible). I'd rather people get to use their their malls. On a different note, I read there was a proper food court at one time, but I couldn't find any evidence other than a comment on labelscar.com. Was that true? Was that where the food hallway is now?

[@PaleOpal21]

@@YodelingLoonRetail The food court was always in the hallway area. Back in the 80's this place was so packed, it was the only place to put it. There also use to be a water fountain located near Marshalls. Still there they just filled it with plants.

[@monkeywkeys3916]

Yeah new investors have Grand plans that damage their own plans. Sounds familiar. I remember harmar mall commericals on the radio or TV.

[@alexanderboulton2123]

The Barnes and Noble is basically the only thing keeping that place going.

[@aaron74]

I totally remember the antique sales on weekends

[@anagarcias4469]

My dad took me to see Clueless at that theatre as a young girl❤️ he proceeded to say “As If” for practically everything after that lol. He also took us to The Ground Round across the parking lot. As kids we loved that Barnes and Noble.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

That is not the original Target store across the street. They tore that one down in the mid 1990s, the original Target store #1, and put up the new Super Target. They also tore down the original Perkins to do it, which relocated adjacent to the new Target. Har-Mar also had a gas station in the early 1980s where the north center entrance is.

[@AtticTapes14]

PLEASE COVER MAPLEWOOD MALL

[@Donna-F]

My family and I went to Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour after my high school graduation. We didn’t have the Lollapalooza, but it was fun to watch what was happening there.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

Old Chicago is gone now. Oh and the last remaining original tennent, the barbershop, is gone.

[@bradkrekelberg8624]

Outdoor only malls make no sense in a cold climate! Thanks for the memories. I went to many a movie at Har Mar. I also liked the Scout Shop, United Stores, and the pet store! Wasn't there a bowling alley in the basement? Maybe that was Apache...

[@aaron74]

Great video! Lots of interesting history I wasn't aware of. The extra cinemas 4 through 11 were built in a former grocery store? Mind blown! I've been going to Har Mar since I was a kid since the 80s. It's always been a stodgy place, but it does have a certain charm. I too vagely remember Professor's, I think we went there for breakfast mostly. Yes, I recall the jars of the stick candy! I think Buffalo Wild Wings occupied that space in the 2000 decade before moving to Rosedale Commons. Marshall's and Famous Footware probably vie for the longest standing tenants. They've remained in the exact same spot for decades now. The B&N bookstore at Har Mar and Rosedale Marketplace actually co-existed for a few years. I'd estimate the Marketplace location closed about 3 years after Har Mar's location had opened. They probably just ran out their lease at Marketplace. Oh and I have a vague recollection of the Boy Scouts Supply Store, too... very hazy. I never had reason to go in there. But I do remember Har Mar Lock & Key (locksmiths), and there was a Hot Dogs & More kiosk-type place in the middle of the main area. There was a Petters Warehouse before Barne's & Noble (that guy Tom Petters went to jail).

[@felix121984]

So dismal ! Remembered being packed in 1989. It was like a meat and potato's version of Edina Galleria but great shops.

[@monkeywkeys3916]

Those are the best kind of Malls. Local and decked out with good stores. Malls are important places. Worth supporting I'll always stop and buy at Any mall over online.

[@felix121984]

@@monkeywkeys3916 Grew up in Plymouth Mn in the eighties. Absolutely agreed with you !

[@mattaudio]

Other suburban malls with interior corridors I remember… Cobblestone Court,Diamond Head, and whatever Target is connected to in Burnsville. The mall with Petco in Apple Valley had an interior corridor. The remnants of an entrance still exist on the back. The downtown building in Rosemount south of the library and west of BP had an interior corridor. In Edina, Leisure Lane is multi level and probably still has an interior corridor. I thought Brandon Square had a corridor too.

[@deanchristopherson8272]

Enjoyed the history. Another business not mentioned in the video is the TCF bank location on the Northwest corner of the mall

[@jimh6572]

I remember when they did away with Harkins Driving Range to build Har Mar. Snyder's Drug was where Staples is. National Foods was originally in the Michael's location. Mike Belknap owned Har Mar Pizza and he and his wife Carol opened Cicero's' with the theater organ. They also opened one in Edina and Brooklyn Center. Farrell's was a favorite place for the kids. Out front was Howard Johnson's Restaurant, which became the Ground Round and was all torn down for the Chianti Grille. Downstairs in Har Mar was game room with pinballs and video games supplied by the Eichingers. They were friends of the Slawiks. The remains of the Hub Center had the barber shop, United Stores and a few others. Twin City Federal and Roseville State Bank (owned by Bob Ashbach) were up in the Norhtwest section. There also used to be a gas station near the entrance across from the car wash.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

The Barnes & Noble in Har-Mar did open in around 2000 at the same time the B&N by Rosedale Fairview Shops, in what is now a Dollar Tree store, was open. It closed a year later. That Fairview Shops B&N was the very first Barnes & Noble outside of New York City. A noteworthy thing. The Starbucks in the Har-Mar B&N is probably the money maker keeping the store open there. The music section is gone and is an empty space.

[@Cochituatebeach]

By the entrance where the video starts on the right side was a dismal Har Mar Pets, where I always felt bad for the dogs. They had an extensive aquarium section. Walking into the mall on left side, next to those food places on the north side was a fantastic outdoor store called United Stores, which was great for camping gear, gloves, tents, I think even canoes. It used to be a destination for my wife and I, until they closed the whole chain. It was Har Mar’s loss.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

That space you walk past at 10:56 was a Piano store company that went out of business. The other end by the American glasses place had an original Radio Shack store that had been in the place since it opened. That closed about 5 years before Radio Shack went under.

[@jefferythole8988]

Most of the remaining stores have locked their interior entrances... which reduces foot traffic and hurts the smaller businesses.

[@crowmigration8245]

Ahh a mall Marshalls with the old logo!

[@danemerson870]

Before har Mar, Harkins' Driving Range was there.

[@allthatjazzspaz95]

I loved that Barnes and Noble, even as a teen as recently as 2008! I spent hours there reading

[@TheFlowerGirl13]

You made it to HarMar finally

[@autofox1744]

There was a local chain of large bookstores where I grew up called Stroudwater Books. They were the first bookstores I was aware of that put cafes and places to sit in their stores, circa the late 1990s; sadly, they all closed in the early 2000s. The one nearest me is now a Planet Fitness, and I still consider that gym an usurper.

[@nancydarling4918]

Interesting mall. Good video. Thanks.

[@j6449663]

I remember it well .

[@YayAkiba]

Har Mar used to have "Romeo's", an Italian place. There was sand in my mom's salad, we noped out of there.

[@cityofabscissae]

Was that about 1993-1995? I remember an Italian restaurant there about that time. Our first visit was really good and the owner came to our table to welcome us. On our next visit a few months later the food had gone downhill. The next time we passed by they had closed. It didn't last more than a few quarters if I remember correctly.

[@aaron74]

Yes! They made a Chicago-style deep-dish pizza that rivaled Green Mill. It was called Romeo something... I think there was more to the name.

[@JamesDavidWalley]

Apparently, Mike Lindell of MyPillow fame/infamy began that business at a kiosk there.