On Wednesday morning, an excavator stands in the parking lot of Lincoln Square, which recently sold to a franchise group that plans to demolish and erect a Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins.

ESCANABA — With the sale of Lincoln Square Mall complete, TMart is preparing to demolish the 42-year-old strip and erect a new structure that will house Dunkin’ (formerly Dunkin’ Donuts) and Baskin-Robbins.

“We’re building a new 2,400-square-foot building with additional parking, patio, and drive-through,” explained TMart Operations’ Marketing Coordinator Traci Lloyd. “Our current goal is to open sometime in fall 2026, although many factors could affect that projection.”

The old plaza, built in the 1980s to house Holiday Travel and Radio Shack and offer other retail space, was owned by Anders Company, an Escanaba-based family business. It served a number of businesses well with highway frontage, but it was time to move on. Anders Company has been aiming to sell the property.

Meanwhile, TMart had been looking for real estate in the area. The deal for the plaza at the southwest corner of North Lincoln Road and First Avenue North went through on April 29.

“We’ve looked along this corridor for many years and are happy to have now finally found our forever home in Escanaba where we can be part of this community,” Lloyd wrote via email to the Daily Press.

With current President and CEO Jeremy Alsaker, TMart Operations I, LLC is a franchise group based in Wisconsin. The company began in 2010 under Gary Gussel of Briggsville, Wis., who operated Travel Mart, Inc. as far back as 1986, according to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Travel Mart, like TMart, also brought Dunkin’ Brands to the Badger State.

Today, TMart has 72 locations in three states — primarily Wisconsin, with a handful in Minnesota and Michigan. Their stores include Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, Cousin Subs, A&W and Rocky Rococo.

The model they plan to bring to Escanaba is a popular one containing both Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins. Construction will be visibly underway soon; interior gutting has been taking place, and on Wednesday, an excavator stood in the parking lot, waiting to begin demolition.

Upon hearing that a large doughnut chain was coming to town, some Escanaba residents expressed concern that a particular local business might be negatively affected. After all, Donut Connection, a co-op store privately owned by Louis and Vicky LaMarche, is right next door at 2315 1st Ave. N. in the mini-mall.

The Donut Connection in Escanaba is continuing on, however, and is “not overly concerned” about their future neighbor. Donut Connection is even expanding; they’re currently amidst a remodel to expand their kitchen and allow them to produce a new menu item — fresh bagels every day.

The store remains open and busy during their upgrades. When asked what his thoughts were about a competitor moving in next door:

“It’s a free market economy — best of luck to them,” Louis replied. “We’ll continue to make our donuts fresh every morning, and never frozen like the national chains. Donut Connection will continue to be staple in the community as we have been for almost 50 years; we aren’t going anywhere.”

Donut Connection intends to begin making and selling bagels at some point this summer.

The Dunkin’ coming to the Lincoln Square site will be the fifth in the Upper Peninsula. Other locations of the chain are found in Houghton, Marquette, Iron Mountain and Menominee.

“Our company mission is to win guests through outstanding experiences, and our teams focus on this all day every day,” Lloyd said.

The Wisconsiin franchise group has won awards: In 2020, they were named Dunkin’ Franchise of the Year; in 2024, TMart was Baskin-Robbins Franchise of the Year.