Small towns in North Dakota reached their business and population peak in the 1920s. While cities like Bismarck, Fargo, and Grand Forks continue to grow and draw shoppers from miles around, many small towns have struggled, losing businesses, schools, churches, and their reason for being.
Hampden, a tiny town in Ramsey County, took a bold step in 1976 by opening a mini mall. Hampden’s population peaked at 222 in 1930, but by the 1970s, it had shrunk to fewer than 130. Undeterred, the people of Hampden donated $28,000 to the Hampden Mall Association to build a mini mall on Main Street after many old downtown buildings were torn down. The project was mostly built with volunteer labor. The Grand Opening was held on April 30, 1977, with the slogan, “Watch Hampden Grow.” The new mall included a senior citizens center, hardware store, grocery store, café, and beauty shop.
Nearly 20 years later, on this day in 1994, the Hampden Mall was the bustling “hub” of the community. The Grand Forks Herald reported on the vibrant mall, where a group of men came for coffee at 7 a.m. every day, and a group of women followed at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Gladys Boatman, known locally as the “potato dumpling queen,” had lines out the door for her famous dumplings on Tuesdays. Bonnie Trontvet was busy cutting hair at the Hair Spa salon. Dennis Miller, owner of the mall’s grocery store, trusted his community, noting that about 90 percent of his business was done on credit. Agnes Shonauer joked that the café “keeps this town alive.”
This lively mall was built when Hampden still had a school and about 126 people. By 1994, the school was long gone, and the population had dropped to 89.
As of 2025, the Hampden Mall still serves the community. The hair salon is gone, but the Post Office is now located in the mall. The store, café, and senior citizens center are still going strong. Despite Hampden’s population of only 29, according to the 2020 census, the mall continues to show that some small North Dakota towns can still have a thriving retail space.
Dakota Datebook by Trista Raezer-Stursa
Sources:
- Graham, Carol. “Retail Malls Heartbeat of Small-Town Business,” Grand Forks Herald. December 9, 1979, pg. B1.
- Heritage Book Committee. Hampden Diamond Jubilee. Hampden, ND, 1979.
- Graham, Carol. “Rural Consumers Support Small Shopping Malls,” Grand Forks Herald. December 10, 1979, pg. 3A.
- Lind, Bob. “Small Mall,” The Fargo Forum. February 27, 1994, pgs. B1, B5.
- Graham, Carol. “Rural Malls,” Grand Forks Herald. December 11, 1979, pg. 3A.
