Shopko will soon be a thing of the past. This is sad news, especially if you happen to live in a place where Shopko or Shopko Hometown is the only department store for miles around. Way back in 1962, Shopko began life with one Green Bay, Wisconsin store.
Typically, they have located in towns too small to have a Walmart. Over the years, they have grown by purchasing other similar chains. In 1997, Shopko purchased the Pamida chain of discount stores. They also acquired several ALCO stores which were then converted mostly to the smaller Shopko Hometown stores.
If you’re headed for Minnesota’s North Shore on vacation this summer, be sure to stop in Duluth to get whatever you’re going to need while you’re up north. The Shopko Hometown store that you’ve come to depend on in Two Harbors will no longer be there. Hate to see ’em go, but I guess it’s just a sign of the times. Like it or not, we live in an Amazon world. R.I.P. Shopko.