Humboldt's Historic Sites

Yuen's Family Clothing

503 Main Street

The Yuen's building is comprised of three historic sites. The Cellular Centre along Fifth Avenue includes two pre 1905 buildings. The Family Clothing portion along Main Street was constructed in 1904 and was added on in the 1960s. The three buildings were amalgamated into one building in the 1970s.

Great Northern General Store
The exact date for the construction of the Great Northern General Store is difficult to determine, as it predates the first issue of the Humboldt Journal in October 1905. It was probably built between 1904 and 1905 when its owners, Heidgerken, Haskamp and Hoeschen were also establishing the German American Land Company and the Great Northern Lumber Store.

In 1917, the building was used for the Shapack and Wolfe General Store. The building was renovated in 1928 for Ramsey's Ltd of Prince Albert who would open a branch store in this building.

Chain Stores
Service Chain Stores occupied this building in the early 1930s. In February 1931, they had a bankruptcy sale. In March 1931, the Miller Chain Stores took over the premises and announced their opening sale of dresses, three-piece suits and fabrics.

Laskins General Store
Bures Laskin came to Humboldt in the mid 1930s and acquired Miller's Chain store. In 1937, he remodeled and rearranged the interior of the building, adding a ladies rest room.

Humboldt Department Store
In 1940 Laskin formed a partnership with Jack Ghitter and reopened for business under the name Humboldt Department Store. Again, the store premises were remodeled, with special attention to the grocery section. After 23 years in business, the Humboldt Department Store closed in 1963. In August 1963, the Humboldt Co-op moved their furniture section to the building and operated as a furniture warehouse.

Murray's Mens Wear, the Style Shoppe and Barber Shop
Murray's Mens Wear opened in this building in 1964 as a partnership between Murray Stebbings and Don Wassill. Stebbings became the sole owner in 1970. The business occupied the south half of the building.

Occupying the north half of the building was Kay's Style Shoppe which had moved in 1964. Tina Hergott and Mary Ellen Seidel established Marina's Style Shoppe in 1974, when they purchased Kay's Style Shoppe. The business closed in 1989.

In 1966, Stebbings built an addition on the south side of the building where there had been an empty lot. This brought the southern exterior wall right to Fifth Avenue. In the 1970s, another renovation added the two smaller buildings on Fifth Avenue - originally the Humboldt Liquor Store and the German American Land Company office.

Stebbings Barber shop moved into the Murray's building in 1974 and operated from this location until 1989.

Murray's Mens Wear closed in 1992 and the building was purchased for Yuen's Family Clothing and Yuen's Cellular Centre.

Business Timeline
1904 - 1917   Great Northern General Store
1917 - ?         Shapack & Wolfe Gen. Store
1928 - 1930s  Ramsey's Ltd. Store
? - 1931         Service Chain Store
1931 - 1936   Miller Chain Store
1936 - 1940   Laskins General Store
1940 - 1963   Humboldt Department Store
1966 - 1974   Kay's Style Shoppe
1974 - 1989   Marina's Style Shoppe
1966 - 1992   Murray's Mens Wear
1974 - 1992   Stebbing's Barber Shop
1992 -           Yuen's Family Clothing