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Wadena-based Kal’s Motor Group plans to open a new location at the Market Street Mall, said owner Dan Kallevig. While the business has not had an official opening in Marshall yet, Kallevig said they have started moving in some inventory, like lawn mowers and golf carts.
MARSHALL — The Market Street Mall in Marshall has a new owner – and there are plans for a new business to open at the property. This week, rows of lawn mowers, UTVs and other outdoor equipment from Kal’s Motor Group could be seen lined up near the former Hallmark store location at the east end of the mall.
Dan Kallevig said he plans to expand his business, Kal’s Motor Group, in Marshall. Kallevig purchased the Market Street Mall property this summer, and said he hopes to have the Marshall location of Kal’s Motor Group open soon.
“Marshall has always been a town that seems like it’s growing,” Kallevig said. “I thought it would be a good place to start a business.” He said he saw the mall property as an opportunity for expansion.
Kal’s Motor Group hasn’t had an official opening in Marshall yet, but Kallevig said the business has been moving in some inventory like golf carts, mowers and snowblowers.
Kal’s Motor Group is based in Wadena, and includes both automotive sales through Kal’s Kars, and sales of golf carts, ATVs, ice houses and more through Kal’s Motorsports. Kallevig’s father founded Kal’s in 1975, and the business has stayed in the family since then.
“I kind of grew up in the car business and motor sports business,” Kallevig said. As an adult, Dan went into the manufacturing industry, but a few years ago he bought Kal’s from his brother John Kallevig.
Kallevig said he plans to utilize the mall building for Kal’s Motor Group. However, the business won’t take up the entire mall. Kallevig said they will be keeping current mall tenants, and looking for new ones.
“Hopefully we can add more tenants,” Kallevig said. He said he would like to set up some type of food court at the mall as well.
Moving into the mall would also mean doing some work on the building. Kallevig said he would likely start out small, “and not attack everything all at once.”
Kallevig said he eventually plans for Kal’s Motor Group to offer sales of everything from vehicles to motor sports equipment and ice fishing houses at the Marshall location. Kal’s Motor Group also features outdoor power equipment and construction equipment.
The Market Street Mall, which opened in the mid-1970s as the Marshall Square Shopping Center, has seen a decline in retail tenants over the past 20 years. By 2021, Maurices was the last retail store in the building. Other current tenants include a U.S. Department of Agriculture service center and the offices of Southwest West Central Service Cooperative.
In 2015, a former owner of the mall property had proposed to redevelop the building into a strip mall surrounded by additional commercial space. But that proposal never moved forward.
The Marshall Economic Development Authority completed a site analysis and redevelopment plan for the mall in 2022, and was working with the bank that owned the property to find a buyer, said EDA Director Lauren Deutz. However, she said Kallevig worked directly with the bank to buy the mall.
“We weren’t involved in that process, but we will be helping Dan attract additional tenants to the property moving forward,” Deutz said.
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