FARGO – Mathison's, a downtown fixture since it opened its first shop almost six decades ago, is moving to a new location.

Doug Burgum's Kilbourne Group has bought the Mathison's building at 1213 NP Ave. - the latest in a growing list of downtown acquisitions - and plans to convert it next year into commercial and office space.

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Separately, Kilbourne Group also bought the building and land leased by the Nestor Tavern, 1001 NP Ave., further expanding its presence in the periphery of downtown.

Mathison's, which began as a vendor of drafting and blueprint supplies and evolved into a primary focus as a large-format printing service, is moving to a commercial building at 3911 37th Ave. S.

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The new location will be smaller and more efficient, allowing better showroom space for its printing equipment, said Joe Anstett, president of Mathison's.

"For more than a half-century, we've treasured our membership in the downtown Fargo community," he said, adding that the new building will offer "significantly enhanced experiences" for customers.

Mathison's was founded in 1958 by Donald Mathison, who came to Fargo from Minneapolis to launch a new business. Since starting with one employee, Mathison's grew over the years to include locations in Bismarck and Rapid City, S.D. A store in Sioux Falls, S.D., closed.

Mathison's was sold to partners including Paul Anstett in 1983, according to Forum archives.

"Kilbourne Group is honored to be entrusted by the Anstetts and their team at Mathison's with this special space in downtown Fargo," said Mike Allmendinger, Kilbourne's general manager. "They've pioneered and grown a Fargo-born family business and continue to invest in our community as a valued neighbor."

The building, constructed in 1950, originally housed some kind of manufacturing business, Sarah Anstett said. Mathison's first occupied the Black Building when the business formed in 1958, and has occupied its current location on NP Avenue since the 1970s, she said.

"When we moved into this building, it served us very well," Anstett said. But as the business evolved in the years since, the building, with almost 19,000 square feet on two levels, became more spacious than needed.

"It's a huge building," she said. "It was hard to keep track of projects at times."

The Mathison's building, located at the intersection of South University Drive and NP Avenue, is a gateway to the downtown, Allmendinger said.

"It has great visibility," he said, adding that the storefront's location close to the street adds to its prominence.

Nearby on NP Avenue, the Nestor's corner location and ample parking also are attractive, Allmendinger said.

"The Nestor is going to continue to rent," he said, adding that no changes are planned for the short term.

"We're not sure how long term they're going to operate there," Allmendinger added.

Doug Deminck, the Nestor's owner, said he hopes to find a new downtown location, but has had offers to buy his liquor license or lease at other locations.

"Everything's kind of up in the air right now," he said.

The building was owned by an estate. "I couldn't match the offer that was put on the table," Deminck said.

Terms of the purchases were not disclosed. The Mathison's property has an appraised value of $673,100 and the Nestor property, built in 1970, has an appraised value of $532,800, according to city records.