Family Leisure to Occupy Vacant Kowalski's Store by Spring

The building once home to Kowalski's grocery store in Lakeville has actually been vacant five times longer than it was ever home to a thriving business. When Kowalski's closed more than five years ago, it had only been open 15 months.

But the Lakeville Crossing anchor site, featuring 32,000 square-feet of retail space, finally has a tenant.

The owners of the building, Paster Enterprises, says Family Leisure, a home recreation retailer, will be moving into the space, located at the corner of County Road 46 and Cedar Avenue, this spring.

Calls to Family Leisure weren't immediately returned.

Trouble as a grocery store

Kowalski's entered the Lakeville grocery market in August of 2005, but was quickly elbowed out by two locations, a , and even SuperTarget.

Less than 15 months after opening, the Woodbury-based grocer announced they would be closing the store due to poor sales. Just months later, in July of 2006, another grocery store, downtown anchor Enggren's Market, closed its doors after 100 years serving the community, also citing poor sales due, in part, to all the big box stores.

Chief Operating Officer Kris Kowalski said at the time: "We were never able to attract the same level of customer support in Lakeville that we enjoy at our other locations."

Paster Enterprises also owns 12 other shopping areas around the Twin Cities.

Family Leisure sells pool tables, hot-tubs, patio furniture and other home recreation items.