Holiday Gas Station History

so my grandfather passed away a few years ago. He spent every second he could spare either hunting or fishing. Anyway over the years we have been cleaning out their home of some of their belongings and we came across a few bags filled with hunting clothes. Some of them we found had holiday gas station logos on them. These were snowmobile bibs, and hunting jackets etc… I asked my aunt about it (his daughter) and she said that back in the old days Holiday gas stations used to be sporting outfitters that sold not only gas but outdoor fishing and hunting items. She mentioned that grandpa used to go there all the time and purchase outdoor stuff. I found that interesting and hadn’t ever heard of that before. Anybody else have any recollection of this? Just curious on a slow Tuesday at work….

yep..i remember years back the holiday in deer river use to have that stuff!!!!!

I think Gander Mountain took over that part or something like that.

They also had surplus military gear too. Jackets, boots, gloves.

Doesn’t seem that long ago….

-J.

I remember going to the one in Bloomington and also visiting Thorne Brothers when they were in Bloomington. Holiday had most anything a sportsman or woman could want back then. It was like being a kid in a candy store. I don’t recall who took them over but eventually they stopped selling sporting goods. The same building had a grocery store too!. Momma could get groceries while dad shopped for sporting goods. It was great.

Yes, I remember some Holiday stations having a sporting goods section.

My father, in fact, got his first Mitchell spinning reels at the Holiday in Sisseton, SD in the 1960s. He had seen them appear in magazines in (by his recollection) the early 1960s, but they were expensive and a little slow to catch on.

When he first saw a Mitchell spinning reel in person it was at the Holiday station Sisseton it was about 1965 or 66, he bought one right then and there.

It was so obvious how that reel was a game changer compared to the level winds and other reels. He spooled it up, took it to Red Iron, hammered the walleyes and he went right back and bought a second one the next day. Total game changer for what was then the #1 tactic of trolling the new and ultra-deadly Lazy Ikes, Flatfish, Pulvorizors, and this crazy upstart company from Finland called Rapala. All of which could also be obtained at the Holiday.

Grouse

Gander Mountain is owned by the Erickson Family, who also own Holiday. Back in the day, Holiday sold just about all sporting goods that Gander now sells.

There used to be a Holiday in fridley. It was actually a grocery store with a sporting goods store inside. I still own a few things that I bought from holiday sports.

It was taken over by gander mountain for a few years then they moved to the Blaine location.

Yes, the Lakeville Gander Mt started out in Burnsville sharing the same building as Cub on Co Rd 42. It was in the space now occupied by Pet Supplies Plus. Before it was Gander Mt, it was Holiday.
The Holiday gas station still operates in that parking lot.

That was my first “go to” sporting goods store.

I remember that they had a post in the middle of the store where customers and employees could pin up actual pictures of the outdoor adventures, before there was facebook and websites like this. I had to stop for a look every visit.

404 ERROR wrote:

Gander Mountain is owned by the Erickson Family, who also own Holiday. Back in the day, Holiday sold just about all sporting goods that Gander now sells.

This is correct, the rebranding from Holiday Sports to Gander Mtn took place in the mid to late 80’s when they sold off their grocery operations. You’re in Mound so you may drive by it/know where it is – the Cub Foods on Rockford Road and 169 used to be a Holiday Foods on the right side (still has the same entrance) and a Holiday Sports on the left.

zooks wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Merican Eagle wrote:</div>
Gander Mountain is owned by the Erickson Family, who also own Holiday. Back in the day, Holiday sold just about all sporting goods that Gander now sells.

This is correct, the rebranding from Holiday Sports to Gander Mtn took place in the mid to late 80’s when they sold off their grocery operations. You’re in Mound so you may drive by it/know where it is – the Cub Foods on Rockford Road and 169 used to be a Holiday Foods on the right side (still has the same entrance) and a Holiday Sports on the left.

Wow I never knew this. cool to know! yeah I grew up in maple grove so I am familiar with that area

zooks wrote:

the Cub Foods on Rockford Road and 169 used to be a Holiday Foods on the right side (still has the same entrance) and a Holiday Sports on the left.

I grew up in Plymouth, and this Holiday Plus (as they were called) was within biking distance from my house. As was Bass Lake. I purchased my first baitcaster from that store. An Abu Garcia Black Max. I had $50, and the reel was $100. The guy behind the counter said he would give it to me for 50% off. I was really young, and remember being so proud of that reel. I actually still have it in a box somewhere. I would bike there and buy plastics every week after getting my allowance. Oh sweet nostalgia!

-Drew

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Anybody remember the fridley one, that was the biggest one that I knew of.

Drew Engelmeyer wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>zooks wrote:</div>
the Cub Foods on Rockford Road and 169 used to be a Holiday Foods on the right side (still has the same entrance) and a Holiday Sports on the left.

I grew up in Plymouth, and this Holiday Plus (as they were called) was within biking distance from my house. As was Bass Lake. I purchased my first baitcaster from that store. An Abu Garcia Black Max. I had $50, and the reel was $100. The guy behind the counter said he would give it to me for 50% off. I was really young, and remember being so proud of that reel. I actually still have it in a box somewhere. I would bike there and buy plastics every week after getting my allowance. Oh sweet nostalgia!

-Drew

lol bass lake. About the only memory I have of that lake was when I was 12 I stayed over at a buddies house who lived across bass lake rd. We stole 4 beers from his dad and snuck out at night and drank them on the lake. first time I ever got drunk. Still remember the date too for some reason was Feb 27th 1994. good times….

Charles wrote:

Anybody remember the fridley one, that was the biggest one that I knew of.

biggill wrote:

There used to be a Holiday in fridley. It was actually a grocery store with a sporting goods store inside. I still own a few things that I bought from holiday sports.

It was taken over by gander mountain for a few years then they moved to the Blaine location.

zooks wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Merican Eagle wrote:</div>
Gander Mountain is owned by the Erickson Family, who also own Holiday. Back in the day, Holiday sold just about all sporting goods that Gander now sells.

This is correct, the rebranding from Holiday Sports to Gander Mtn took place in the mid to late 80’s when they sold off their grocery operations. You’re in Mound so you may drive by it/know where it is – the Cub Foods on Rockford Road and 169 used to be a Holiday Foods on the right side (still has the same entrance) and a Holiday Sports on the left.

The Holiday Station Store was pretty big on County Rd 9.. my nephew worked there and we would always give him the ca$h to get us the discount ! Doesn’t seem that long ago, but yeah it was the early 90’s probably when they all closed and changed to Gander Mtns.

Charles wrote:

Anybody remember the fridley one, that was the biggest one that I knew of.

The Cub Foods on the NW corner of 694 and University is the building the old Holiday Foods/Plus store was in, Duluth Trading along with a few other stores are also in the building now.

IIRC the Plymouth, Fridley, and Bloomington (Festival Foods building off 98th and Lyndale) were the three big Holiday Plus stores but those were also the ones I was most familiar with.

biggill wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Charles wrote:</div>
Anybody remember the fridley one, that was the biggest one that I knew of.

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>biggill wrote:</div>
There used to be a Holiday in fridley. It was actually a grocery store with a sporting goods store inside. I still own a few things that I bought from holiday sports.

It was taken over by gander mountain for a few years then they moved to the Blaine location.

I went to the Fridley store often with some guys from work. We worked second shift and the store was open 24 hours. We’d buy muskie lures, they had one of the best selections next to Thorne Brothers.

I think the Holiday in Bloomington On Lyndale Ave. was pretty large. If I remember right I think they bought out the Burger Brothers store in Bloomington, then opened a second Burger Brothers in Woodbury. They then reorganized those stores into Gander Mountain stores.
I also remember buying Holiday brand shotgun shells at most of their gas stations.

Wow! Back in the day I worked at the Plymouth store and from there I learned about Bass Lake and the tremendous LM bass it holds. Used to portage a canoe through the park to access it by the public dock.

Do any of you guys/gals remember the huge Holiday sales flyer that came out in the spring. I believe it came out sometime in Arpil. It would be in the Sunday paper along with all the other sales flyers.
After the flyer came out out it was to go stock the tackle box.

biggill wrote:

There used to be a Holiday in fridley. It was actually a grocery store with a sporting goods store inside. I still own a few things that I bought from holiday sports.

It was taken over by gander mountain for a few years then they moved to the Blaine location.

Yep, they had a toy and pet store too. Small video arcade as well before McDonalds moved in during the 90s.

I also remember buying .22 shells at the Holiday in Staples on the way up north as well.

I loved the Bloomington store, it seemed they had everything there.
I remember my Dad and Uncle buying a 14′ fishing boat there in the late 60’s.

There are the gas stations and then there were the big sports stores, as mentioned.

If memory serves, the Bloomington Holiday Plus or Sports was a Burger Brothers before it was a Holiday. Once a year my dad would drive us up from SE MN to stock up for the season. Great memories!

Holiday bought out the Burger Brothers chain and they morphed into Gander Mountain like Jeff H said.

Dutchboy wrote:

Holiday bought out the Burger Brothers chain and they morphed into Gander Mountain like Jeff H said.

I still have a old Burger Brothers ultralight that I use.

The Holiday Gas Station where I grew up, in Willmar had sporting goods.(the 70’s) I think I bought my first Wrist Rocket there. I remember the Holiday brand shot gun shells. They had some cool pictures on the box, if I remember right.

In the early 90’s I was in the cities and the sporting goods dept. in the holiday Plus grocery stores were great and open 24/7 for us young men who stayed out too late, or you could hit it on the way out of town to go hunting at 0 dark thirty.

muskie-tim wrote:

Thorne Brothers when they were in Bloomington.

My bad I meant to say Burger Brothers. Guess my memory isn’t what it once was.

now back in the 60’s holiday gas stations were called ericksons, we had one in sw mpls. they gave out stamps for gas, fill up your book and get glasses or what ever, just like the s&h green stamp stores. Bought a blaze orange jacket made out of vinyl in 67? of course it was below zero and it just froze and cracked and fell off

also, anybody remember what was in the store on lyndale before holiday sports? It was called World Wide, one of the first stores of it type, if I remember right you would order what you wanted out of a catalogue and go there to pick it up? I think anyway, I must be as old as dirt to remember these things