A local vision for a community-centric HarMar Mall
Residents want a say in redevelopment plans
Roseville residents aren’t ready to give up the dream of a resurrection for HarMar Mall and they want a say in what happens next.
“It was just a fun place to go. It was always busy, it's always popping. Obviously now it's not quite the same, but for me, growing up in the area, it's nostalgic,” said Jess Davis. He has lived in the HarMar neighborhood with his family for the past twelve years.
Katie Engman, a twenty-year resident of the neighborhood, said they bought their house specifically because of how walkable the HarMar neighborhood is and how safe they felt letting their kids walk to Target or a coffee shop.
Her husband Brian remembers two of their former neighbors walking over to HarMar daily, often helping the staff at Barnes & Noble stock the shelves.
“They were there every morning. They’re like, ‘You guys just want to work here?’” Brian Engman said.
Linda Wilson, who has lived in the neighborhood for almost 40 years, recalled that HarMar was built by a local couple—Harold and Marie Slawik.
“The whole community thing was important,” Wilson said. “I would feel so much better if it was locally owned. I would hope then for better communication and concern for the area.”
A community vision for HarMar Mall
Residents have plenty of ideas for redevelopment, if anyone cared to listen.
The neighbors living to the east of HarMar envision local businesses and opportunities for live music, craft and hobby shows, restaurants, a bar, and a coffee shop.
Katie Engman would love to see a medical or rehab clinic open there. She also sees a need for a daycare or preschool. Brian Engman would love to see more activities for youth, such as an arcade or movie theater.
Davis hopes the owners make a plan that produces profit and benefits the neighborhood. He would love for his kids to be able to safely walk to HarMar to shop or hangout, or play at a park.
Wilson would like to see better protected walkways from the neighborhood to HarMar too, without the dangers of a wide open parking lot.
On the flipside, there is strong opposition to opening the streets for through traffic to the mall.
“I just think that would change the flavor of the neighborhood,” said Wilson.
As a contractor with previous experience managing bars, Davis would love to open a local bar at HarMar.
“I’d go to the bar,” said Johnson. She has been on the lookout for a good dive bar in the neighborhood.
Davis misses hanging out at Old Chicago, which served that purpose for many years before it closed in 2023. Others miss going to D’Amico, which was a regular meeting spot for the neighborhood. D’Amico closed in 2024.
This particular group feels positive about the possibility of new apartments or row houses on the HarMar property, so long as they are well maintained and built alongside nice shops they want to visit.
Rise Up Roseville's co-op vision
The HarMar neighbors aren’t the only ones dreaming of community-centered redevelopment. A different group of Roseville residents are forming a new nonprofit called Rise Up Roseville. One of their goals is to serve as a mutual aid hub for the community. The other—buying HarMar Mall.
“We want to organize a cooperative where small business owners can pool their resources to purchase a building that they can work out of, a place that they own rather than lease,” said Jen Dahl, one of the co-founders of Rise Up Roseville.
The founders are Roseville-area residents who banded together to help community members with rides, groceries, small business support, and rent relief during Operation Metro Surge. They want to continue to meet the needs of small business owners, have a central location for their mutual aid work, and create a community gathering space.
“We've just lost so many third spaces since Covid. So HarMar came to mind pretty quickly, because it's a huge space. . . . It's precisely what it was used for and intended for in the in the past. And it's certainly got a lot of space available,” said Dahl.
Rise Up Roseville has been working on fundraising and organizing small businesses to join them. They have over a dozen so far who are interested in the co-op idea and they’ve drawn up a preliminary site plan.
“We've talked to probably 200 Roseville residents, business owners to ask, what do you need? What would you like to see in a space like that? And so that site plan is a result of that feedback,” said Dahl.
They’ve been exploring resource opportunities with Ramsey County and have talked with city staff and some city council members about their vision too.
The HarMar Mall property is not currently for sale, but the group has reached out to Fidelis to communicate their interest in buying it.
“Quite honestly, I think we could make them look like good partners if they were to cooperate with us and say that they want to help the community by handing it back to the community,” said Dahl.
If HarMar doesn't work out to buy, Rise Up Roseville is looking for other location possibilities too.
Rise Up Roseville’s next fundraiser is “Raise the Bar: A Silent Auction” on Friday, November 13 at 5:30 p.m. at La Doña Cervecería Brewery in Minneapolis.
While he hadn’t heard of Rise Up Roseville or their vision to buy HarMar yet, Davis liked their idea.
“I'd be lying if I said I haven't walked through there thinking of what I could do if I bought that place too. And not necessarily a co-op, but yeah, just to have someone that lived in the area. If you have people that live around here that own it, obviously they're not gonna screw over the neighbors,” said Davis. “Yeah, that'd be cool. I'd be really interested to see how that pans out.”
Long distance ownership
The mall has changed owners multiple times. Most recently, the mall was sold to Texas-based Fidelis Realty Partners for $50 million in 2022.
The neighbors have watched the condition of HarMar's exterior and the surrounding grounds deteriorate, even as the interior appears in good condition.
Katie Engman said she regularly emails John Clinksales, the leasing director at Fidelis, when she notices trash building up on HarMar property, or when the grass gets long, or the sidewalks aren’t shoveled. She writes things like, “It's a great day to talk to your security staff about the car that's been sitting there for a week and someone's living in" or “It’s a great day to have your trash picked up.”
Clinksales usually responds, saying they’ll take care of it. But when asked about the plans for HarMar revitalization, he won’t tell her anything.
“Being a Texas company, it just feels like because there’s no local people here, what do they care, right?” said Johnson.
Vacancies mount
The mall is mostly vacant now, with the exception of a few anchor tenants with long-term leases and a handful of small retailers whose leases are not being renewed.
In August, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal reported that a building permit had been requested by Barnes & Noble for the space at Rosedale Center currently containing Potluck food hall, leading to speculation that the bookstore could be moving.
Gundlach told the Roseville Reader that this permit was, “a mechanical permit, with no plans provided and it remains unissued and incomplete.”
Barnes & Noble did not return a request for comment.
Kathleen Norman, who owns Merle Norman Cosmetics in Roseville, says her lease is up in March 2027. Merle Norman sells specialty cosmetics, wigs, and hats and has been at HarMar since it opened in 1963.
“I have a ton of upset customers over this. Long-term Roseville families. I have customers break down in tears on a weekly basis. I can't imagine when it gets closer to the time,” Feury said.
The Merle Norman company is celebrating 95 years this year. For Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28, Feury’s store will have an anniversary celebration and an opportunity to mark the end of over 60 years at HarMar Mall. Feury hopes to reopen in another local location, if she can find one in her budget.
New leases aren't being offered either. Roseville resident Eva Johnson wanted to open a wedding chapel at HarMar. She inquired about it when she moved into the neighborhood three years ago. Management wasn’t interested in leasing her space, so she opened one in North Saint Paul instead.
Hopes for community engagement
Fidelis has mostly remained mum about their plans for HarMar and haven't released an official vision to the public. Draft plans that involve partial demolition of the mall, changes to the parking lot, and new buildings, were reported by Axios and the Star Tribune.
Staff at the City of Roseville are in the dark. The owners periodically ask questions about zoning requirements, so they know they're working on something.
"The city has not been provided with any redevelopment plan to-date, other than what has been previously reported, which is likely out-of-date at this point," said Janice Gundlach, community development director.
A spokesperson for Fidelis told the Roseville Reader there was nothing to share at this time.
“We have encouraged Fidelis to meet with the community to hear their concerns before submitting any permits or land use requests, knowing the neighborhood has great interest in HarMar’s future,” said Gundlach.
Community engagement is not required if Fidelis’ plans meet city requirements. The City of Roseville incorporated community feedback about the HarMar area in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which informed zoning requirements for the property.
“If Fidelis requests something outside what is inherently permitted by existing zoning regulations, then community engagement may be required and that feedback may influence decision making,” Gundlach said.
The HarMar neighbors are holding out hope that Fidelis may reach out to hear their opinions and ideas anyway.
“They could get our opinion to make more money and use us. You know, having a town meeting or a big forum at HarMar and say, what do you guys want?" Davis said. "...They could use us as a resource. Yeah, that'd be great."
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