Photo

Julie Carlson of Joynes Ben Franklin does a final walk-through of the old building that has been used for many years as storage for the department store. Carlson would like to collect memories from people who remember visiting the old building, which was built by John Johnson in the fall of 1908. The building once stood where the Joynes Ben Franklin is today and was first known as Johnson’s New Place. Little is known about the building from 1909 to 1944, but Gene Glader, in his book Downtown Grand Marais, wrote about the building as home to the Soderberg Dry Goods & Clothing Store in 1933, as well as the Bay View or Shore View Hotel upstairs. The building served as home to several other businesses—the Photo Art Shop and Humphrey’s Clothing— before it was purchased by Howard Joynes and moved to its present location in 1951. The building is being demolished by Edwin E. Thoreson, Inc. Carlson said no decision has been made yet on the future of the lot.