WINONA, Minn. – A major Winona rental landlord, John Alexander, has bought Winona Mall on Gilmore Avenue on the West Side. The price: $5 million. The mall opened in 1983. At various times it has housed a major grocery store, a pharmacy with full-scale gift sections, and dozens of retail shops. It has lost tenants in recent years as shoppers have gravitated to big-box stores and strip malls on the Far East End. The seller was a Clear Lake, Iowa, management company. Alexander’s plan? He said he already is knocking at the doors of Winona merchants about moving in. His target: 100% occupancy within two months. The purchase, he said, is his first venture into commercial retail leasing. His Winona Property Management handles mostly apartments.
Grand opening. From a 1983 promotional brochure. Built originally as a Montgomery Ward department store but converted into a mall. The original engraved MW door handles have been turned upside down. Now WM.