Digital Division
517 Division
ca. 1911
In 1948, Northfield hosted its first ever annual Defeat of Jesse James Days celebration. While the folks who had the original vision for this event have since passed away, the tradition continues stronger than ever today. The current occupant of this building—Willie’s Shoe Repair—has a similar story to tell. The same year of that first festival, 1948, local Northfielder Willis Wolf opened Willie’s at 303 Division. Wolf’s store, which soon moved a few doors down to the Lockrem-Sumner Building at 315, became a hit even beyond the local landscape. An anecdote from the 1998 Northfield News recalls some of the Minnesota celebrities whose shoes Wolf repaired at one moment or another: former senator Karl Rolvaag, baseball legend Harmon Killebrew, and former governor Al Quie, to name a few.
517 Division during Defeat of Jesse James Days with a reenactor on the street
Willie’s was not only a go-to cobbler for townies, but a respected establishment that served iconic names of Minnesota’s history.
By 1985, Wolf’s health was ailing, and he sold the business to Randy Malecha. The move was subsequently made to this early-20th-century building, where it still stands today. Just like DJJD, Willie’s persists today under new leadership. From 1935—the earliest point at which the building's history becomes somewhat clear to us—until Willie’s moved in, it had been occupied by a meat market, a series of restaurants, and a bakery.