Retail in Brooklyn Center (Seemed like the place to ask) (Maple Grove: 2015, how much)

[DeadJake2345]

Me and my dad have been talking for the past hour about retail and other businesses near Brookdale and in the Brooklyn Center area in general. We want to know if anyone in the area remembers these things and we're not crazy. Here's the things we've been discussing and we're wondering if anybody else knows if...

-Regal Cinema 20 used to be a bowling spot?
-The K&G across the street from Sears at the old Brookdale Center used to be a ToysRUs, and when did it close?
-What was on the site of where Kohls and Circuit City were by Brookdale originally?
-There was a Kmart in Brooklyn Center somewhere?
-Was there a child world/children's palace here at one point?
-How many movie theaters were in BC in the 80's/90's?
-Wasn't there a Kentucky Fried Chicken here?
-There used to be an Asian community center or market?

I know it's really weird and specific but all of the other sites I've tried are either dead or no longer replyable. I figured a forum dedicated to the Twin Cities would have somebody who knows what we are talking about. We'd just really like to see if anybody remembers or knows these things.

[demtion35]

Originally Posted by DeadJake2345

Me and my dad have been talking for the past hour about retail and other businesses near Brookdale and in the Brooklyn Center area in general. We want to know if anyone in the area remembers these things and we're not crazy. Here's the things we've been discussing and we're wondering if anybody else knows if...

-Regal Cinema 20 used to be a bowling spot?
-The K&G across the street from Sears at the old Brookdale Center used to be a ToysRUs, and when did it close?
-What was on the site of where Kohls and Circuit City were by Brookdale originally?
-There was a Kmart in Brooklyn Center somewhere?
-Was there a child world/children's palace here at one point?
-How many movie theaters were in BC in the 80's/90's?
-Wasn't there a Kentucky Fried Chicken here?
-There used to be an Asian community center or market?

I know it's really weird and specific but all of the other sites I've tried are either dead or no longer replyable. I figured a forum dedicated to the Twin Cities would have somebody who knows what we are talking about. We'd just really like to see if anybody remembers or knows these things.

My dad and I,,,,have been talking for the past hour, I think I ate at a Kentucky Fried Chicken near that area a few times, the rest of the places, not sure.

[The Old Scowl]

I can answer these questions to some extent:

-Regal Cinema 20 used to be a bowling spot?
There were 2 bowling alleys, an autobody shop, and an interior design center on the site that Regal Cinema 20 occupied (it's now a TopGolf Range that is scheduled to open this spring or summer). I remember that one of the bowling alleys was Lynnbrook Bowl, and do not remember the other. I do not recall the name of the autobody shop, but the interior design center was Schwalenberg Designs, although I might be incorrect on the spelling of the name.

-The K&G across the street from Sears at the old Brookdale Center used to be a ToysRUs, and when did it close?
I vaguely recall that it closed down around 2005-2006, but am not certain on those years.

-What was on the site of where Kohls and Circuit City were by Brookdale originally?
Where the former Kohl's building is was a three theater movie house. It was named the ABC as well as the Plitt Theater. There had been a Ground Round restaurant that became another restaurant/sports bar, but I do not remember the business name or years of operation.
The previous tenant of the Circuit City site was Children's Palace.

-There was a Kmart in Brooklyn Center somewhere?
The building that housed Kmart is still there, but most of the space is unoccupied after a dozen years or so. It was briefly an indoor go cart track until the business moved up to Maple Grove or Dayton. The building is still visible from Highway 100.

-Was there a child world/children's palace here at one point?
See my answer to question #3. It was located in the Shingle Creek strip mall (demolished in 2015 or 2016).

-How many movie theaters were in BC in the 80's/90's?
In the 1980s there were three: General Cinema, United Artists Cinema (these two were literally back to back), and the ABC/Plitt theater, which was closed and razed in late 80s for the Kohls building which I think went up in 1988 or 1989. The General Cinema lasted into the first few years of the 2000s, and the United Artists lasted until 2010 or 2012-ish. Regal 20 did not get built until 2000.

-Wasn't there a Kentucky Fried Chicken here?
Yes. It faced Brooklyn Blvd. on the east side. It was replaced/remodeled after closing and is now a Popeye's Louisiana Chicken restaurant.

-There used to be an Asian community center or market?
There was a strip mall that was part of the former Northbrook shopping complex that was purchased and named Hmong Shopping Center, but I think it was taken by the city for redevelopment under eminent domain laws and razed. That was 10-12 years ago. Nothing has been developed there yet.

A good place to ask questions is on Facebook at the group "you know your from Brooklyn Center if..."
There a numerous past posts and photos on the businesses you ask about.

[Izzie1213]

There used to be a Knoxs lumber yard, similar to what menards is. Hardware and misc. stuff. That closed years ago. There was also a grocery store in the same placed or near, maybe attached/same building. That went away probably 1990 or so. My son was about one then and remember going there. It was on Brooklyn Blvd near 694.

[DeadJake2345]

Originally Posted by The Old Scowl

I can answer these questions to some extent:

-Regal Cinema 20 used to be a bowling spot?
There were 2 bowling alleys, an autobody shop, and an interior design center on the site that Regal Cinema 20 occupied (it's now a TopGolf Range that is scheduled to open this spring or summer). I remember that one of the bowling alleys was Lynnbrook Bowl, and do not remember the other. I do not recall the name of the autobody shop, but the interior design center was Schwalenberg Designs, although I might be incorrect on the spelling of the name.

-The K&G across the street from Sears at the old Brookdale Center used to be a ToysRUs, and when did it close?
I vaguely recall that it closed down around 2005-2006, but am not certain on those years.

-What was on the site of where Kohls and Circuit City were by Brookdale originally?
Where the former Kohl's building is was a three theater movie house. It was named the ABC as well as the Plitt Theater. There had been a Ground Round restaurant that became another restaurant/sports bar, but I do not remember the business name or years of operation.
The previous tenant of the Circuit City site was Children's Palace.

-There was a Kmart in Brooklyn Center somewhere?
The building that housed Kmart is still there, but most of the space is unoccupied after a dozen years or so. It was briefly an indoor go cart track until the business moved up to Maple Grove or Dayton. The building is still visible from Highway 100.

-Was there a child world/children's palace here at one point?
See my answer to question #3. It was located in the Shingle Creek strip mall (demolished in 2015 or 2016).

-How many movie theaters were in BC in the 80's/90's?
In the 1980s there were three: General Cinema, United Artists Cinema (these two were literally back to back), and the ABC/Plitt theater, which was closed and razed in late 80s for the Kohls building which I think went up in 1988 or 1989. The General Cinema lasted into the first few years of the 2000s, and the United Artists lasted until 2010 or 2012-ish. Regal 20 did not get built until 2000.

-Wasn't there a Kentucky Fried Chicken here?
Yes. It faced Brooklyn Blvd. on the east side. It was replaced/remodeled after closing and is now a Popeye's Louisiana Chicken restaurant.

-There used to be an Asian community center or market?
There was a strip mall that was part of the former Northbrook shopping complex that was purchased and named Hmong Shopping Center, but I think it was taken by the city for redevelopment under eminent domain laws and razed. That was 10-12 years ago. Nothing has been developed there yet.

A good place to ask questions is on Facebook at the group "you know your from Brooklyn Center if..."
There a numerous past posts and photos on the businesses you ask about.

Thank you so much, this confirms what we were thinking. Can't believe how much this area and the world of retail has changed in just 25 or so years.

[Radical_Car]

A KFC franchisee filed bankruptcy a few years back and Popeyes stepped in and bought them locations and turned them all into Popeyes. They were supposedly the only buyer for the locations I remember hearing at the time.

I went into K&G with my friend roughly a year or so ago, I remember thinking it looked like it used to be a Toys R Us and remember reading somewhere online on a different message board that it was a Toys R Us at one point.

I've only lived down here in the Twin Cities since beginning of 2014, and was not all that familiar at all with Brooklyn Center before I moved down here from St Cloud.

Today, one would never be able to tell or guess that it used to be a major shopping hub with a mall and Best Buy, Circuit City, Toys R Us, numerous movie theatres and other amenities like it used to be. I sure can't tell.

Update:After looking at that Facebook group The Old Scrowl mentioned, going even further back it looks like the K&G Building was a Red Owl grocery store before it was a Toys R Us.