Bishop's Department Store occupied this site in downtown Park Rapids for over seventy years, but it was not the first department store on this corner of downtown. Before Bishop's McClaran's Department Store occupied the site. It was acquired in 1928 by Harold N. Bishop when it went bankrupt. Bishop was so impressed by Park Rapids that he went on to open his own store in the same small building.

In the early days of the store, Bishop's sold nearly everything, including groceries. As supermarkets developed, Harold Bishop replaced the grocery department with more clothing and home goods. Disaster struck in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, when the store burned to the ground. Bishop was able to rebuild on the same site, using salvaged materials brought from the Twin Cities.

Bishop's was a fixture in Park Rapids, supplying everything a person could need for their home but also special clothing and gear for tourists. Harold Bishop's son, Rollis, took over the store in 1955. The building had two large additions, at the back and south sides in 1968. It allowed the store to keep more stock on site, ready to supply the people of Park Rapids and tourists who found themselves in need of some warmer clothes.

Bishop's closed in 2001, but the building remains an important anchor in downtown Park Rapids.

101 Main Avenue S
Park Rapids, MN 56470

Open Site Location on Google Maps
46.92194437202641, -95.06005978020663