JCPenney at Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck. JCPenney relocated to the mall from downtown in the 1980 expansion. The company first arrived in Bismarck upon purchasing local retail store McCracken in 1929, however did have a location in nearby Mandan since 1920. At one time, J.C. Penney had over thirty locations in North Dakota.
Kirkwood Mall drastically changed Bismarck’s retail landscape when Paul Wachter opened it in April 1971 with original anchors Woolworths, Montgomery Wards, and Herbergers. It underwent a major addition in 1980 with two new anchors, Target and JCPenney.
