The History of Ronning's

Ronning's started out in 1956 as Falls Surplus, owned then by Marie and Andy Johnson.  Wayne Ronning arrived in 1959 with the Johnson's son Bill to manage the store and presided over a few changes in addresses and names during the ensuing years.

In 1961, the store moved out of downtown and along Highway 53 where it became known as Bargain City.  A few years later, it was back downtown and returned to its original name of Falls Surplus.  Military surplus machetes, canteens, and cots filled the shelves then.

Wayne eventually purchased the store from Marie Johnson in 1965 and changed the business name to Border Bargains in 1968 -- a reflection of the store's new merchandise that now featured brand-name clothing at reasonable prices.

Ronnings soon outgrew their expanded store and when the building that formerly housed Woolworth's became available, they decided to make the move in 1978.  In fact, business was so good that in 1983, the Ronnings opened a second store in Hayward, WI.  That store is now owned and operated by their daughter. 

Along the way, the store's name changed again from Border Bargains to Ronning's.

Ronning's gained a reputation for offering brand name clothing at reasonable prices and for being on the cutting edge of new trends.

Ronning's was among the first stores in the area to sell Beanie Babies.  At the peak of the Beanie Baby craze, carloads of people would travel to Ronning's to buy the tiny stuffed animals.

After three generations of business, Wayne announced his retirement in 2000 and closed the doors in January, 2001.

In May of 2001, Lyle and Mary Larson of Littlefork, MN, purchased the store and reopened the doors with a fresh new look.

Larson, who started a sawmill in Littlefork 17 years ago and added Larson Lumber -- a building supply store nine years ago, said his work at the lumber yard brought him into contact with vendors in the clothing business.  "We ended up selling different products for display cases for vendors in this industry," said Larson.  "So I got to know a number of them just chatting with them, and became interested in pursuing this".

Throughout the past years, Larson has updated the inside of Ronning's with a Northwoods cabin theme to reflect the beautiful area we are located in.  A large basement addition was also added to stock the growing footwear department in 2005.

In May of 2003, Larson opened another Ronning's in Baudette, MN, located 70 miles west of International Falls.

After more than 35 years of providing service to the loyal customers who visit our store, Ronning's continues to strive in offering the best shopping experience possible to everyone who visits us - whether it be in the store, by phone, mail, or online.

We THANK YOU for your past and future patronage!