In January 1965, Joske's purchased rival Wolff and Marx with its downtown flagship and North Star Mall locations. Joske's stated that there would be no immediate changes in operation of Wolff and Marx, however, in less than a month the seven-story downtown Wolff and Marx store was closed because the store did not have escalators and the building had passed its useful life as a modern department store.
Joske's acquired Wolff and Marx in January 1965 with its main store and North Star Mall locations. Joske's stated that there would be no immediate changes, but just over a month later, the seven-story downtown Wolff and Marx store was shut down because it lacked escalators and had reached the end of its lifespan as a modern department store.