After several temporary moves this year, the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce celebrated moving to its new permanent home Tuesday evening.

“We feel like we’re like a band of gypsies who’ve finally returned home,” said Executive Director Randy Kehr.

The chamber moved out of its previous home at the corner of Bridge Avenue and Marshall Street in April. Kehr said that the lease was up, and they saw an opportunity to move to a facility with better parking at the mall.

“Parking had become a significant issue,” Kehr said.

The chamber looked at 12 other locations around Albert Lea before settling on their new home in the former Bath & Body Works space inside Northbridge Mall.

Kehr said the space was chosen because it was built to suit the chamber’s needs, with a larger board room to accommodate meetings with chamber members and committees. Public accessibility for chamber members and the community was another plus, along with vast parking.

“This one was the best for our members and the most fiscally responsible,” said Kehr.

Northbridge Mall is a longtime business member of the chamber, and jumped at the opportunity to increase foot traffic while housing such an instrumental entity to the community.

“I believe in everything the chamber does,” said Barb Fate, property manager for Northbridge Mall. “They are such an asset to the community, and we’re honored to have them as a tenant to be part of our family in the mall.”

Construction to renovate their new office began in August, and all of the work was done using chamber business members, including Lembke Construction, Thompson Electric of Albert Lea, Jim & Dude’s Plumbing and Heating, and Total Glass & Lock.

“We’re very pleased with the work of our member organizations,” said Kehr. “They all did a great job for us. As we found tweaks or things that needed fixed, they made changes.”

The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce has signed a five-year lease on its new office location. The chamber employs three full-time workers and one part-time worker. Perry Vining from the Big Island Rendezvous also works at the chamber’s office.