Charles F. Vandersluis opened a hardware store at 4th and Minnesota avenue under the name of the Bemidji Hardware company on March 30, 1915.
The building faced Minnesota Avenue with a 25-foot front and extended back for 60 ft. but it was crowded to the doors with merchandise. The building soon became too small, and he purchased the adjoining lot with the intention of building a larger building. War came and he had to wait a few years.
In 1922, he put up a new two-story building with a 50-foot front on Minnesota avenue, and the old building was moved back and remodeled to face Fourth street. Five years later, a major fire burned out the store. Vandersluis repaired the building, cutting off the second floor to make it into a one-story structure.
Mr. Vandersluis was well known in Bemidji long before he established himself in business here. He was a traveling salesman for a hardware firm and paid regular visits to this section of the country. He made his first trip to Blackduck before there was any railroad there and had to walk part way to the village. The first time he slept at the Markham hotel, the beds had not arrived yet, and he and others with him slept on the floor.
Mr. Vandersluis established residency in Bemidji in 1905 and built the house that was at 715 Bemidji Avenue. Bemidji Hardware continued for decades. The store was remodeled in 1969 and became Swedmark Hardware.