Christopherson Bait and Tackle was established in 1934 by Will Christopherson. Al Christopherson took over the family business full-time in 1972. It has moved locations just once since it opened during the Great Depression. The original Christopherson’s Bait was located on Main Street in Alexandria, but today sits on a piece of property that Will Christopherson purchased in 1945. Will and his brother built the concrete building that would be the new Christopherson’s Bait in 1948 and added onto it in 1961 and again in 1969. The current building was built in 1999, around that original concrete structure. A lot of work was put into the building, including pouring the concrete minnow tanks in 1948 and are still being used today in the back of the store. During the first few years of operation, the business revolved solely around live bait. Traps were built and rivers were seined to catch wild minnows that would be sold to fishermen. It wasn’t until 1952 that Christopherson’s Bait started to offer tackle. They sold some of the first terminal tackle imported from Japan and they were one of the initial shops in Minnesota to buy leaders from Berkley, now a giant tackle manufacturer, which at the time worked out of a garage. In 1994, Al Christopherson was hurt badly in a car accident and was no longer able to function the way he would have liked. He turned the business over to his daughter and son-in-law, Denise and Dana Freese, who continue to run the family business today.