 The retail and service sector is also an important part of the economy . The historic center of shopping in Grand Forks was the downtown area . Today , downtown is home to small shops and restaurants and south Grand Forks has become the major retail district in the city . Grand Forks has three large shopping centers . The oldest , Grand Cities Mall , is located on South Washington Street and contains mainly small , locally owned stores as well as a Kmart . With about 80 stores , the area 's largest indoor mall is Columbia Mall which is anchored by Macy 's , Sears , J.C. Penney , and a small food court . The newest major shopping center in the city is the Grand Forks Marketplace power center mall which features SuperTarget , Best Buy , Lowe 's , Gordmans , and several smaller stores . Depending on the relative strength of the Canadian dollar versus the American dollar , the Greater Grand Forks area attracts large numbers of tourist shoppers from Manitoba and especially from Winnipeg . 
