Donaldson's

Minneapolis and Saint Paul have a rich shopping tradition. Names like Dayton’s, the Golden Rule, Powers, and the Emporium evoke fond memories for those who remember them. By the late 1990s, Dayton’s was the only one still in operation, and by the early 2000s, all of the famous shopping destinations of 20th-century Twin Cities had become mere memories.

One of these famous stores was the Donaldson Company. It was an institution for over a century and was a significant competitor to the Dayton Company for many years.

The Donaldson brothers worked as salesmen across the United States before settling in Minneapolis in the early 1880s. In 1882, William opened a modest store selling men’s and women’s clothing, and his brother Lawrence joined him in 1883.

That same year, the brothers acquired a space in the Glass Block—named for its large plate glass windows—on Nicollet Avenue and Sixth Street. William and Lawrence purchased the Colton Company, the owners of the Glass Block, and expanded their store to encompass the entire building.

At that time, Donaldson’s location was on the outskirts of downtown Minneapolis. However, this did not hinder their growth or popularity. Just a year later, in 1884, they had outgrown the building. That spring, they demolished the old Glass Block and constructed a new, larger version.

In 1899, after the death of William, Lawrence Donaldson took over as owner and operator of the company, renaming it L.S. Donaldson’s. The store continued flourishing, and Lawrence bought out Gimbell-Zimmer, another retail operation on the same block. With this purchase, Donaldson’s now owned the entire city block.

The store was not just a department store; like many retailers of the time, Donaldson’s served as a cultural and civic hub. They hosted art collections, fashion shows, Christmas celebrations, and special exhibits, among other events.

By the early to mid-1900s, Donaldson’s was one of several major department stores on the burgeoning retail strip of Nicollet Avenue—now known as Nicollet Mall. Across the street was the new Dayton Company, and surrounding Donaldson’s were several other stores, though Donaldson’s was by far the largest.

In 1924, Lawrence Donaldson passed away, not living to see the completion of the new store, which opened in November of that year, just four months after his death.

In 1929, Hahn Department Stores, a retail holding company, acquired the company. Not much changed for the store during this transition; they kept their name and staff. In 1935, as part of a reorganization, Hahn’s changed its name to Allied Department Stores, Inc.

After the acquisition by Allied, Donaldson’s continued to grow, opening its first branch store in 1948 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Their second branch opened in Rochester, Minnesota, in October 1953.

Donaldson’s expanded across the river from Minneapolis in 1961 when Allied purchased The Golden Rule—a Saint Paul shopping institution since 1886. The store was rebranded as “Donaldson’s Golden Rule,” but by 1965, the “Golden Rule” portion was dropped, and it became simply “Donaldson’s.” By 1976, the company operated stores in the major indoor Twin Cities malls: Southdale, Rosedale, and Brookdale Centers—innovations of their arch-rival, Dayton Company.

In 1980, Donaldson’s vacated the original Golden Rule building in downtown Saint Paul for a newly constructed, modern store across the street. A similar fate awaited the original Minneapolis store when Donaldson’s moved from the Glass Block to a smaller location across the street in the newly built Minneapolis City Center Mall in the fall of 1982. Months later, the Glass Block was damaged by arson during the Thanksgiving Day Fire of 1982, which also destroyed the original Northwestern Bank Building on the same block. Today, Gaviidae Common and the Wells Fargo Center occupy this location.

By 1987, with twelve stores, Donaldson’s struggled to keep pace with competitors, particularly Dayton’s. That year, they were acquired by Carson Pirie Scott, and the Donaldson’s name was permanently changed to Carson’s. By 1995, all former Donaldson’s stores had permanently closed; without the recognizable name, they faced financial difficulties and could not keep up with the competition.

For many, the name Donaldson’s still sparks fond memories of the Twin Cities' glorious past. While the landscape of modern shopping has drastically transformed in the last 20-30 years—with the rise of Target (a descendant of Dayton’s), Walmart, and Amazon—the memories of shopping days gone by remain vivid.