Alex Dodin Opens Perham Tobacco in Restored Downtown Bank Building, Preserving History

Alex Dodin opened Perham Tobacco on Feb 13, 2026, inside a rehabilitated historic bank building on Main Street in downtown Perham. The storefront joins other small businesses along Main Street and occupies a building long recognized by residents as a landmark of the downtown block.

The building’s local history was central to the rehabilitation project that preceded the opening. Renovation work focused on preserving the bank building’s historic features while converting the interior for retail use; those preservation efforts were completed in time for the February 13 opening and remain visible to anyone walking past the Perham Tobacco entrance on Main Street.

Dodin chose downtown Perham for Perham Tobacco, moving into the Main Street bank building rather than a strip center or outlying commercial site. The decision placed the new shop squarely in Perham’s central business district and continued a pattern of reinvestment in the core of town by small-business owners.

Local contractors and craftsmen carried out the remodeling work that preserved the building’s historic fabric, and the completed project created a retail layout suited to a tobacco and specialty shop. The rehabilitation retained the building’s defining exterior and adapted the interior to retail shelving and customer space, allowing Perham Tobacco to open its doors in the restored space without erasing the bank building’s character.

The opening on Feb 13 brought a new business to a block that includes long-established merchants and civic anchors, reinforcing the role of Main Street as Perham’s commercial spine. By locating Perham Tobacco in a rehabilitated bank building, Alex Dodin tied a contemporary retail venture to downtown Perham’s architectural past and contributed to downtown activity on Main Street.

Perham Tobacco’s arrival follows a pattern of reuse for historic properties in Otter Tail County’s towns, and the Main Street project demonstrates how preservation-minded remodeling can accommodate new retail operations. The shop’s presence in the restored bank building makes a visible statement about private investment in downtown Perham and leaves an intact historic façade for future visitors to see.