Meyer's Department Store

The hometown department store in Watford City has been a mainstay in the community for many years, surviving the fashion styles of decades and touting the most fabulous trends of the time. From the full skirts and petticoats of the 1950s, the bell bottoms of the 1960s and 1970s, to the power suits with shoulder pads of the 1980s and today's skinny jeans and urban western wear, the shop has catered to the fickle fashion wants of the community for decades.

Today, Meyers Department Store is a place where women can enjoy a moment of retail therapy. It is a place where children enjoy a designated play area so moms can shop without the company of bored and pesky little ones. It is where high school friends can look for something new to wear to school and a newcomer to the community can stop in and find work boots in his size.

Once known as the Clothes Basket, Meyers Department Store changed hands a number of times throughout the years. In its earliest days, the store sold dry goods and clothing and was owned and operated by Angus and Jessie Kennedy. Records show that they sold it to the Stensley family who operated the store for many years before it again changed hands after being purchased by Marx and Flora Borseth. They then changed the name to Borseth's Department Store. When they decided to retire, they sold the business to Homer and Alice Sorenson. Later, it was sold to Trisha Skoglund.

In 1987 Dean and Shirley Meyer bought the store and named it Meyers' Department Store. Two years later they sold it to Linda Knudtson and she made the decision to continue operating the store under its established name.

Today, the store is owned by Beth Veeder who purchased the business on Sept. 28, 2011.

"One hallmark of Meyers has been the careful attention that is given to the customer. Women learned a long time ago they didn't have to go out of town to find a good looking outfit," said Veeder.

As with many businesses in the area, the store has done some growing in recent years to meet the demands of a much larger community with ever changing and evolving needs. While the store communicates the message to woman that stylish fashion trends can still be purchased locally, the store also caters to the needs of an ever increasing oil worker population in need of fire retardant clothing and steel-toed work boots. In recent years the store has successfully managed to meet the needs of the diverse population by offering both new and tried and true merchandise. Throughout the years, just as the styles have come and gone and come again, the stock in the store has changed with the times. In its earliest years the store sold bedding, towels and home linens. In later years, more emphasis was placed on women's and children's clothing. Men were able to shop there too for a variety of work clothes. Today, the store features trending clothing one might not find anywhere else, shoes and jewelry. It is a place where locals can shop and choose from a variety of styles and sizes while not having to leave their community.