When the mall concept arrived in Rice Lake in the mid-1970’s, taking three of the four “big boxes”, the downtown merchants refused to concede defeat. With the help of a Business Improvement District and last the Main Street Association, downtown has transformed itself into specialty shops, and offices but is still a viable place to shop. It also refused to give in when Highway 53, the Freeway, by-passed the city in 1978.
Joining Cedar Mall on the south side have been K-mart, Wal-mart, Shopko, Office Max and Farm and Fleet, along with a number of smaller shops and several restaurants, making that area the new shopping mecca. The south access, Highway O, is now lined with businesses all the way out to the interchange. That, in turn, has brought hundreds of new shoppers to the city, aiding the changing downtown as well.
A new Rice Lake Business Park opened on the north side in 2003 and the city also has a CedarSide Technology Park on the south side ready for development. That facility is adjacent to the WITC Campus and UW-Barron County Campus.
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