K-Mart

[mikey7290]

Originally posted by mikey7290

Originally posted by d_fife
here is the former k-mart in ogdensburg. it opened fall 1990, was 86,479 sq.ft. and closed early spring 1998 due to low sales, but it was not a part of a round of closings.

Just a slight correction on this.  Yes, there WAS a Kmart store here from 1990-1997, but this is NOT the same building.  The former Kmart store (along with three others next to it in the plaza) was demolished in 2004 or 2005 to make room for this Lowe's store.

Here is an old newspaper clipping from 1990 with a picture of the former Kmart store in Ogdensburg, NY.  This store was built to replace an older, smaller store.  It opened in the Gateway Plaza on Ford Street in November 1990 and closed in March 1997.  It measured 86,479 square feet in size.  The plaza's owners were never able to fill the space after Kmart left and the store was demolished two years ago to make room for the Lowe's store that stands on the site today.

[mikey7290]

I'm sorry the pic didn't post.  Let's try this again.

[Marc82]

Though the article isn't on their website the New Haven Register reported today that the former KMART Plaza on New Haven Avenue on the Derby-Orange townline maybe razed to make way for a Lowe's. KMART closed down 3 years ago. Lowe's wouldn't confirm or deny it as they're still in negotiations.

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by Marc82
Though the article isn't on their website the New Haven Register reported today that the former KMART Plaza on New Haven Avenue on the Derby-Orange townline maybe razed to make way for a Lowe's. KMART closed down 3 years ago. Lowe's wouldn't confirm or deny it as they're still in negotiations.

A reader of my website, named Loki, worked at that very Kmart before closure. It's located in the Orange Derby Shopping Center and appears to have received a renovation before closure. She also informs me this Kmart was moved after the Ansonia Mall shuttered in the early '80s. There's a functioning store about 15 minutes away in Milford on Bridgeport Ave.

This picture was taken by Loki.

[Zayre88]

Originally posted by XISMZERO
A reader of my website, named Loki, worked at that very Kmart before closure. It's located in the Orange Derby Shopping Center and appears to have received a renovation before closure. She also informs me this Kmart was moved after the Ansonia Mall shuttered in the early '80s. There's a functioning store about 15 minutes away in Milford on Bridgeport Ave.

This picture was taken by Loki.

Wow, it's clear that this Kmart was a Zayre before!

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by Zayre88Wow, it's clear that this Kmart was a Zayre before!

You think so? It seems to me they chopped the entire middle area to renovate it. It looks like a typical later model Kmart spruce-up. The brown walls along the side certainly show it's age and tell me it was probably relative to all the other Kmarts in the state.

[Zayre88]

Originally posted by XISMZERO

Originally posted by Zayre88Wow, it's clear that this Kmart was a Zayre before!

You think so? It seems to me they chopped the entire middle area to renovate it. It looks like a typical later model Kmart spruce-up. The brown walls along the side certainly show it's age and tell me it was probably relative to all the other Kmarts in the state.

I'm sure.  Check my reply with picture in the Zayre post, to stay on topic about Kmart here. http://www.amesfanclub.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=1125&page=3#pid27745

[Loki]

That Kmart was never a Zayers. It was a Reads then a Jordan Marsh before Kmart moved in. The shopping center is truly dead, Fashion Bug and Payless Shoes are currently running going out of buisness sales, which will leave only Dollar Tree, GNC and a Sally Beauty Supply. I asked in Dollar Tree if they were closing and the only answer I got was "Have you been to our Milford store? Do you like it?" Doesn't sound too good. I haven't heard the Lowes story before but it makes sense, I can't see anyone else moving into the Kmart building. There's already a Walmart down the street in the former Caldors and the former Service Merchandise next store was split into a Big Lots and Staples and most of the major grocery chains have stores nearby. There is a Lowes in Orange about 5 miles away so that seems a little close to me but then again there are Home Depots everywhere. This shopping center is a gem of forgotten retail and probably won't be arround for long, here's some more pics...

[Loki]

Here's another view

[Loki]

here's a view of 2 of the empty larger stores at the other end of the plaza, one Best Price Kids was a discount children's retailer and has been vacant for years but left their signage up. The other is a Marshalls which left in the past year. On an ironic note the Marshall's moved to a new store in nearby Ansonia which was  on the spot that this closed Kmart used to occupy when it was at the Ansonia Mall.

[d_fife]

Originally posted by Loki
Here's another view

the kmart was a zayre and the zayre must have closed in the 1980s or maybe before Ames bought it out and IT WAS A JORDAN MARSH!!!! it really was a Jordan Marsh. The jordan marsh closed in 1991 during bankruptcy. THIS SAYS THERE WAS A ZAYRE IN DERBY http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewer.aspx?img=30659579

what do you think contributed to the Kmart closing back in 2003? I plan to visit this area this coming summer.


you must KNOW THIS: The news archieves google said the KMARTS IN WATERVILLE AND AUGUSTA MAINE WERE W.T. GRANT. it said the one in Waterville was 70,000 sq.ft. when it opened in 1977 and it is currently 99,000 sq.ft. the one in augusta was always 85,000 to 90,000 sq.ft.

[XISMZERO]

Nice find, d_fife. It appears you need a subscription to the site in order to view the article. I would copy and paste it in Paint and then upload the picture of the article here as a JPG.

I'm certain this Kmart closed in the 2003 wave of closings under the Sears-K merger because the company was purging. There's actually one 15 minutes away in Milford. In past years, Kmart has been closing many unnecessary stores that might share proximity to one another. In Connecticut, we have only 7 stores left, basically one to serve each region/county.

I'm going to get up there soon once this terrible weather eases up because they're going to demo the plaza very soon for a Lowes.

[d_fife]

Originally posted by XISMZERO
Nice find, d_fife. It appears you need a subscription to the site in order to view the article. I would copy and paste it in Paint and then upload the picture of the article here as a JPG.

I'm certain this Kmart closed in the 2003 wave of closings under the Sears-K merger because the company was purging. There's actually one 15 minutes away in Milford. In past years, Kmart has been closing many unnecessary stores that might share proximity to one another. In Connecticut, we have only 7 stores left, basically one to serve each region/county.

I'm going to get up there soon once this terrible weather eases up because they're going to demo the plaza very soon for a Lowes.

I noticed that COnnecticut took a big hit with the Kmart closings as 60 percent of them closed. and the ones I have been to that remain in Connecticut seem to be strong performers. Connecticut has a shortage of Kmarts (when I was in pennsylvania and Ohio it was not that way), and a bigger percentage of the Kmarts left in CONNECTICUT SEEM TO BE CLOSER TO WATERBURY! They pulled out of New haven. there was never one in new london. the only one left within 10 minutes of Hartford is in Vernon.

but Texas has 20 kmarts left (they cloesd all their stores around houston, dollas and SAn antonio and Austin, but kept all in El Paso)

[Loki]

I have no idea when the plaza was built, but at least as far back as 1976 the Kmart was a Reads. I remember going to the Service Merchandise (which was Value House back then) in the plaza next door and there was a Reads in the Kmart building then, before that it could of been a Zayers that would of had it closing well before the Ames buyout. If there was a Zayers in Derby this would of had to of been the location, the only other two stores that were in town in the '70s that would of been big enough would be the Bradlees or Caldors. The Bradlees was very old style with the giant multi-colored blocks with white letters in each one (maybe the original logo ?), so I doubt it was there. The Calador had the angled wall over the enterance simular to the building that is left in West Hartford, don't know if that was the original design of the building or a '70s re-model.

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by Loki
The Calador had the angled wall over the enterance simular to the building that is left in West Hartford, don't know if that was the original design of the building or a '70s re-model.

That's interesting to learn. That strange design those Caldor locations had were like two other locations in the Hartford area and were most likely all former "Stars" department store chains. No one really knows about Stars too much but it's interesting to know they had a location out there too.

[Loki]

This is a photo of a former Builder's Square on Bull Hill Rd. in Orange, CT. Sorry the photo isn't very good but right after I stopped to take it a police car pulled in. (there are a few open stores in the plaza but none are near this building), needless to say I wasn't hanging around. If you look closely you can see the familiar white Kmart awning. Now I know Kmart owned the Builder's Square chain, but I don't know if they designed them in the same style it is possible this used to be a Kmart that closed long ago. I know there was a Kmart in Norwalk, CT that closed in the '80s, so who knows. I'll go back again and try to get better pics.

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by Loki
This is a photo of a former Builder's Square on Bull Hill Rd. in Orange, CT. Sorry the photo isn't very good but right after I stopped to take it a police car pulled in. (there are a few open stores in the plaza but none are near this building), needless to say I wasn't hanging around. If you look closely you can see the familiar white Kmart awning. Now I know Kmart owned the Builder's Square chain, but I don't know if they designed them in the same style it is possible this used to be a Kmart that closed long ago. I know there was a Kmart in Norwalk, CT that closed in the '80s, so who knows. I'll go back again and try to get better pics.

Awesome find! You're giving me a hefty agenda for when I get out to the New Haven area. I usually dont have trouble with any police - guess it's just good/bad timing.

[d_fife]

Originally posted by XISMZERO

Originally posted by Loki
This is a photo of a former Builder's Square on Bull Hill Rd. in Orange, CT. Sorry the photo isn't very good but right after I stopped to take it a police car pulled in. (there are a few open stores in the plaza but none are near this building), needless to say I wasn't hanging around. If you look closely you can see the familiar white Kmart awning. Now I know Kmart owned the Builder's Square chain, but I don't know if they designed them in the same style it is possible this used to be a Kmart that closed long ago. I know there was a Kmart in Norwalk, CT that closed in the '80s, so who knows. I'll go back again and try to get better pics.

Awesome find! You're giving me a hefty agenda for when I get out to the New Haven area. I usually dont have trouble with any police - guess it's just good/bad timing.

it was a kmart. www.newslibrary.com said the kmart closed in 1988.

[scottw73]

The former Kmart inNorwalk is now a Best Buy you can still see the old front  from Kmart. Looks like they lopped half of it off.  I am not sure when it closed, but afterwards it was a Rickel, then Nobody Beats the Wiz.  Does anybody have any pics of Norwalk.

[Marc82]

Speaking of Builder's Square/KMART, someone told me that years ago they used to have stores near The West Farms Mall in Farmington, Connecticut around the area where Sports Authority/Borders is located now. Anyone know for certain? My parents don't remember.

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by Marc82
Speaking of Builder's Square/KMART, someone told me that years ago they used to have stores near The West Farms Mall in Farmington, Connecticut around the area where Sports Authority/Borders is located now. Anyone know for certain? My parents don't remember.

Yes, I can confirm that. Builder's Square was there and is now occupied by Sports Authority and possibly also Borders.

[store215]

Kind of funny as both Sports Authority and Borders were also owned by Kmart for a while.

[XISMZERO]

Found a SiteRide page on the plaza. No closeups, but if you look closely you can see the former Kmart. It's next to the former Bradlees (Kohl's).

http://siteride.com/srpl/p_snapshot.pl?lm=listing&resbox=1171512277&subNum=13215000167

[XISMZERO]

Here's a historic image of Kmart on Queen Street in Southington, Connecticut. As the caption says, this picture predates to the early 1970s when it opened. In addition, my mother worked here for four years in the mid-to-late 70s!

As of today, this Kmart is no more. It closed in 2003 and is currently a Price Chopper Supermarket board member Marc82 works at.

Thanks to Southington Observer (11-3-1993), Southington Public Library for the image.

[XISMZERO]

Here's the Vernon, Connecticut store.

[XISMZERO]

Vernon, Connecticut. They decided to leave this one opened while a neighboring store in Manchester closed years ago. Manchester was certainly bigger, but probably didn't attract as many people.

[XISMZERO]

Vernon, Connecticut. The Garden Shop sign. There's a vacant auto center at this store! I might be used for garden, but it was fenced off and a little trashed. The auto bays were still there. I didn't get any pictures of it today. There's also a possible Little Caesar's label scar near the Western Union sign.

[XISMZERO]

Vernon, Connecticut. This store has a 1970's-era roofline, slightly updated when they gave it the Big K banner. It might be the only store left in Connecticut (aside from the vacant one in Orange, and Milford) with this style roof. This is a pretty old looking store too.

There's a picture of the one in Milford which has this roof but it could be a little outdated. Very possible it mimicks this store.

[d_fife]

here is the Kmart in Baltimore MD on wabush ave and is 96,000 sq.ft.

[d_fife]

Originally posted by d_fife
here is the Kmart in Baltimore MD on wabush ave and is 96,000 sq.ft.

kmart balitmore md on wabash ave