K-Mart

[zonemad96]

From what I've heard about the Williamsville Kmart was demolished to make way for Lowe's because the old Kmart building had asbestos in it when they were planning to to use the building for Lowe's after Kmart closed. The surrounding plaza by the Williamsville Kmart was heavily revamped, part of it was demolished a few years ago for easier access to the Wegmans and Target stores next door.

you know what, that makes sense. I was just there (I get my hair cut in the plaza) and I was thinking there is no way this used to be a Kmart.

That was the problem with the Ames that I posted about in the Ames forum - asbestos make saving older buildings very hard. Might as well tear it down rather than spend huge amounts to remove them.

The Amherst Kmart was probably demolished because of asbestos as well. Asbestos might have been a good idea for fireproofing buildings at one point, but now we know that asbestos causes cancer and it's one of the reason why some older Kmart (and some other stores) building can't be saved for remodeling into something else.

Unless I'm mistaken, doesn't the asbestos have to be removed from the building before it can be torn down anyway?  Otherwise the demolition will cause it to go into the air.  Whether re-using or demolishing, the asbestos still has to come out before anything else can be done.

Yeah first they come out and take samples of every material the building is made out of ceiling tiles, walls, insulation, floor tiles, insulation on pipes, they even test the adhesive used to hold down the floor tiles. Some of it can be removed fairly easily but depending on the type of material the asbestos is in but they might have to seal the whole building in plastic and properly ventilate the place.

[giantsfan2016]

From what I've heard about the Williamsville Kmart was demolished to make way for Lowe's because the old Kmart building had asbestos in it when they were planning to to use the building for Lowe's after Kmart closed. The surrounding plaza by the Williamsville Kmart was heavily revamped, part of it was demolished a few years ago for easier access to the Wegmans and Target stores next door.

you know what, that makes sense. I was just there (I get my hair cut in the plaza) and I was thinking there is no way this used to be a Kmart.

That was the problem with the Ames that I posted about in the Ames forum - asbestos make saving older buildings very hard. Might as well tear it down rather than spend huge amounts to remove them.

The Amherst Kmart was probably demolished because of asbestos as well. Asbestos might have been a good idea for fireproofing buildings at one point, but now we know that asbestos causes cancer and it's one of the reason why some older Kmart (and some other stores) building can't be saved for remodeling into something else.

Unless I'm mistaken, doesn't the asbestos have to be removed from the building before it can be torn down anyway?  Otherwise the demolition will cause it to go into the air.  Whether re-using or demolishing, the asbestos still has to come out before anything else can be done.

Yeah first they come out and take samples of every material the building is made out of ceiling tiles, walls, insulation, floor tiles, insulation on pipes, they even test the adhesive used to hold down the floor tiles. Some of it can be removed fairly easily but depending on the type of material the asbestos is in but they might have to seal the whole building in plastic and properly ventilate the place.

The first time I ever heard of asbestos was after Woolworth's in the Bristol Plaza in Bristol, Connecticut closed. I remember they had the store front boarded up with signs that said Danger Asbestos removal.

Then in 1998 at my high school, they closed down the Culinary Arts Department to gut and remodel it. They had to do asbestos removal there too. For the entire school year they operated out of a small temporary kitchen they built in the back of the cafeteria. The Junior and Senior Culinary Arts students were sent to the small Tech School in Bristol or given employment with a Food Service Company that provided cafeteria services to a hospital.

[TheFugitive]

My high-school closed in 1986.  The school board wanted to tear it down, but a lot of local residents objected, saying that it might be needed again in the future if the school-aged population increased (something that never happened).

The estimates on demolition at that time ran around $200,000.
A year and a half later the Federal Government issued strict new rules on handling asbestos.
The cost of demolition immediately skyrocketed to over $5 million!

Needless to say the school was never torn down.  It sat there rotting for almost 30 years
before a developer bought it and converted it into some very nice Senior Citizen apartments.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Kmart closed their Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin store in 1995. Today, a Tractor Supply store operates out of that building.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I really hope some catalog retailer comes along a few years after Sears Holdings' demise and acquires the rights to both the Kmart and Sears/Wishbook names for their mail-order catalogs and websites, just like Swiss Colony did with Montgomery Ward.

I have the perfect name for a Kmart mail order catalog: "The Kmart Katalog"

If they do a mail-order catalog/website, I hope they use the classic Kmart logo, which hasn't been used since 1962-1990 in the United States, just like how the current catalog for Wards uses the classic Montgomery Ward logo.

[AmesNewington]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

[busman_49]

Kmart is set to announce 28 more store closings today.  Rumors elsewhere have said the number could be as high as 50 and could include some Sears stores.  A list should be out this afternoon.

http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-q2-2018-earnings-2017-8

[giantsfan2016]

Southbury, Connecticut KMART.

[TheFugitive]

The list is here.

http://searsholdings.com/docs/082417_store_closing_list.pdf

[standa]

The Southbury, CT Kmart that's closing is a two-floor store. It was previously a Jordan Marsh and before that a Read's.

[jason83080]

They demolished the old Kmart in Westlake, OH. Turns out that the land's going toward new construction - Fresh Thyme and Sierra Trading Post:

http://www.cleveland.com/westlake/index.ssf/2017/08/west_bay_plaza_kmart_slated_fo.html

That explains why they're refacing the Jimmy John's strip.

... Also, judging by this map, the bottom plaza - labeled as "proposed" spaces - are where Marc's, Pet Supplies Plus, and some other smaller stores are currently located. I wonder if they're all getting the boot. Marc's does have other stores in Avon and North Olmsted, so maybe that's why this one's getting kicked out? PSP could likely move across the street - I think there's enough open space for a PSP in the Promenade strip - but, yeah, Marc's getting the boot is a surprise.

http://realestate.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2017/07/fresh_thyme_market_coming_to_w.html
http://media.cleveland.com/realestatenews_impact/photo/sitemap.jpg
(The "200" building is where Kmart used to be. The "100" building is where the other existing strip - Marc's is 100/110-ish, PSP is about where 120 is - currently resides. The 400 building is new. The 50 building is the newer strip, with a Japanese restaurant and Jimmy John's on either side. There's a KeyBank in the upper right corner of the map - not pictured - and a McDonald's in the lower right corner - also, not pictured - that aren't included in the new plans.)

RIP Kmart! :( Photos of the demolition:
http://westlakebayvillageobserver.com/read/2017/09/06/big-changes-underway-at-west-bay-plaza/photoGallery

[busman_49]

Looks like it was a unique store.  I kinda wish I could have made it up there before it closed.

They demolished the old Kmart in Westlake, OH. Turns out that the land's going toward new construction - Fresh Thyme and Sierra Trading Post:

http://www.cleveland.com/westlake/index.ssf/2017/08/west_bay_plaza_kmart_slated_fo.html

That explains why they're refacing the Jimmy John's strip.

... Also, judging by this map, the bottom plaza - labeled as "proposed" spaces - are where Marc's, Pet Supplies Plus, and some other smaller stores are currently located. I wonder if they're all getting the boot. Marc's does have other stores in Avon and North Olmsted, so maybe that's why this one's getting kicked out? PSP could likely move across the street - I think there's enough open space for a PSP in the Promenade strip - but, yeah, Marc's getting the boot is a surprise.

http://realestate.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2017/07/fresh_thyme_market_coming_to_w.html
http://media.cleveland.com/realestatenews_impact/photo/sitemap.jpg
(The "200" building is where Kmart used to be. The "100" building is where the other existing strip - Marc's is 100/110-ish, PSP is about where 120 is - currently resides. The 400 building is new. The 50 building is the newer strip, with a Japanese restaurant and Jimmy John's on either side. There's a KeyBank in the upper right corner of the map - not pictured - and a McDonald's in the lower right corner - also, not pictured - that aren't included in the new plans.)

RIP Kmart! :( Photos of the demolition:
http://westlakebayvillageobserver.com/read/2017/09/06/big-changes-underway-at-west-bay-plaza/photoGallery

[JJBers]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

[AmesNewington]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

[JJBers]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

Well, here's my horribly guessed assessment for the remaining three stores in Connecticut, starting with:

Vernon, the only Kmart I've ever been too. It's about 3 miles away from a Wal-Mart, and has a Stop and Shop right across the street from it, but when I went inside, it was ok. Looked like the 90's still. Google Reviews has a 3.6 rating for it, not that great.

Next up, Watertown, now this one has much better competition, there is no Wal-Mart's for a while (or Targets, etc.), and this time the Stop and Shop is a half a mile away. This is also the only retro Kmart in the state (even though that really shouldn't be a thing). Google Reviews has it at 3.3. This one has a poor interior, but not as bad as the next one.

Finally, Milford, This store is going in the next wave, it's not only in worse condition than both the Vernon and Watertown Kmarts', it's got a lot of competition within 5 miles. It's also barely possible to see from the road, so that doesn't help. It has a 3.5 on Google.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Milford- Some time before June 2018
Vernon- Late-2018
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

[danfifepsu]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

Well, here's my horribly guessed assessment for the remaining three stores in Connecticut, starting with:

Vernon, the only Kmart I've ever been too. It's about 3 miles away from a Wal-Mart, and has a Stop and Shop right across the street from it, but when I went inside, it was ok. Looked like the 90's still. Google Reviews has a 3.6 rating for it, not that great.

Next up, Watertown, now this one has much better competition, there is no Wal-Mart's for a while (or Targets, etc.), and this time the Stop and Shop is a half a mile away. This is also the only retro Kmart in the state (even though that really shouldn't be a thing). Google Reviews has it at 3.3. This one has a poor interior, but not as bad as the next one.

Finally, Milford, This store is going in the next wave, it's not only in worse condition than both the Vernon and Watertown Kmarts', it's got a lot of competition within 5 miles. It's also barely possible to see from the road, so that doesn't help. It has a 3.5 on Google.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Milford- Some time before June 2018
Vernon- Late-2018
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

why only 3 left in CT?

[JJBers]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

Well, here's my horribly guessed assessment for the remaining three stores in Connecticut, starting with:

Vernon, the only Kmart I've ever been too. It's about 3 miles away from a Wal-Mart, and has a Stop and Shop right across the street from it, but when I went inside, it was ok. Looked like the 90's still. Google Reviews has a 3.6 rating for it, not that great.

Next up, Watertown, now this one has much better competition, there is no Wal-Mart's for a while (or Targets, etc.), and this time the Stop and Shop is a half a mile away. This is also the only retro Kmart in the state (even though that really shouldn't be a thing). Google Reviews has it at 3.3. This one has a poor interior, but not as bad as the next one.

Finally, Milford, This store is going in the next wave, it's not only in worse condition than both the Vernon and Watertown Kmarts', it's got a lot of competition within 5 miles. It's also barely possible to see from the road, so that doesn't help. It has a 3.5 on Google.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Milford- Some time before June 2018
Vernon- Late-2018
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

why only 3 left in CT?

Well...there's technically 4, but the Southbury one is closing by the end of the year.

But here's what I think you're looking for. Kmart was always in heavy competition with stores like Bradlees and Ames, and eventually Wal-Mart and Target. So once Kmart started sinking, Connecticut was hard hit at first, but has slowed down in recent years.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

Kmart had similar issues in Wisconsin with Wal-Mart and Target as well as ShopKo and the (now defunct) Prange Way stores in the 1990s.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

Well, here's my horribly guessed assessment for the remaining three stores in Connecticut, starting with:

Vernon, the only Kmart I've ever been too. It's about 3 miles away from a Wal-Mart, and has a Stop and Shop right across the street from it, but when I went inside, it was ok. Looked like the 90's still. Google Reviews has a 3.6 rating for it, not that great.

Next up, Watertown, now this one has much better competition, there is no Wal-Mart's for a while (or Targets, etc.), and this time the Stop and Shop is a half a mile away. This is also the only retro Kmart in the state (even though that really shouldn't be a thing). Google Reviews has it at 3.3. This one has a poor interior, but not as bad as the next one.

Finally, Milford, This store is going in the next wave, it's not only in worse condition than both the Vernon and Watertown Kmarts', it's got a lot of competition within 5 miles. It's also barely possible to see from the road, so that doesn't help. It has a 3.5 on Google.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Milford- Some time before June 2018
Vernon- Late-2018
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

why only 3 left in CT?

Well...there's technically 4, but the Southbury one is closing by the end of the year.

But here's what I think you're looking for. Kmart was always in heavy competition with stores like Bradlees and Ames, and eventually Wal-Mart and Target. So once Kmart started sinking, Connecticut was hard hit at first, but has slowed down in recent years.

I remember when Kmart was in competition with Prange Way (a discount store which existed from 1971-1995) in Wisconsin. Now that P-W is gone, Target, Shopko and Walmart are their only competitors left.

[AmesNewington]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

Well, here's my horribly guessed assessment for the remaining three stores in Connecticut, starting with:

Vernon, the only Kmart I've ever been too. It's about 3 miles away from a Wal-Mart, and has a Stop and Shop right across the street from it, but when I went inside, it was ok. Looked like the 90's still. Google Reviews has a 3.6 rating for it, not that great.

Next up, Watertown, now this one has much better competition, there is no Wal-Mart's for a while (or Targets, etc.), and this time the Stop and Shop is a half a mile away. This is also the only retro Kmart in the state (even though that really shouldn't be a thing). Google Reviews has it at 3.3. This one has a poor interior, but not as bad as the next one.

Finally, Milford, This store is going in the next wave, it's not only in worse condition than both the Vernon and Watertown Kmarts', it's got a lot of competition within 5 miles. It's also barely possible to see from the road, so that doesn't help. It has a 3.5 on Google.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Milford- Some time before June 2018
Vernon- Late-2018
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

I like your assessment of the remaining CT locations. It doesn't make sense to me that Milford has survived so long since they also have a Sears in town and have two or three dollar stores in the plaza they are in. Watertown I can see to an extent since they have no competition for a while, but I would have thought being the small, retro looking store they are, they would have been closed long ago. Vernon is the only one that makes sense. I'm glad they are still there. It's a trek from Newington to there, but at least its not even farther. For a while during the past decade, they still had a good number of locations and held on to them longer than I expected. I can't believe Cromwell went before the ones that are left today. Even though they had Walmart down the road, they had good visibility off the highway, it was centrally located, and it was big in size. It was busy at times. I think the closure of Xpect Discounts next door did them in. I also think Kmart was given an easy out when ShopRite expressed interest in the plaza. I don't think they were any worse off than the others. They did go downhill in the last year though.

[danfifepsu]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

Well, here's my horribly guessed assessment for the remaining three stores in Connecticut, starting with:

Vernon, the only Kmart I've ever been too. It's about 3 miles away from a Wal-Mart, and has a Stop and Shop right across the street from it, but when I went inside, it was ok. Looked like the 90's still. Google Reviews has a 3.6 rating for it, not that great.

Next up, Watertown, now this one has much better competition, there is no Wal-Mart's for a while (or Targets, etc.), and this time the Stop and Shop is a half a mile away. This is also the only retro Kmart in the state (even though that really shouldn't be a thing). Google Reviews has it at 3.3. This one has a poor interior, but not as bad as the next one.

Finally, Milford, This store is going in the next wave, it's not only in worse condition than both the Vernon and Watertown Kmarts', it's got a lot of competition within 5 miles. It's also barely possible to see from the road, so that doesn't help. It has a 3.5 on Google.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Milford- Some time before June 2018
Vernon- Late-2018
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

I like your assessment of the remaining CT locations. It doesn't make sense to me that Milford has survived so long since they also have a Sears in town and have two or three dollar stores in the plaza they are in. Watertown I can see to an extent since they have no competition for a while, but I would have thought being the small, retro looking store they are, they would have been closed long ago. Vernon is the only one that makes sense. I'm glad they are still there. It's a trek from Newington to there, but at least its not even farther. For a while during the past decade, they still had a good number of locations and held on to them longer than I expected. I can't believe Cromwell went before the ones that are left today. Even though they had Walmart down the road, they had good visibility off the highway, it was centrally located, and it was big in size. It was busy at times. I think the closure of Xpect Discounts next door did them in. I also think Kmart was given an easy out when ShopRite expressed interest in the plaza. I don't think they were any worse off than the others. They did go downhill in the last year though.

of what you said of competition, this was Bradlees and Caldor territory even in their hayday to the 1990s. I can see waht u mean. When did Norwalks close? Maybe CTs too wealthy for Kmart.

[scottw73]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

Well, here's my horribly guessed assessment for the remaining three stores in Connecticut, starting with:

Vernon, the only Kmart I've ever been too. It's about 3 miles away from a Wal-Mart, and has a Stop and Shop right across the street from it, but when I went inside, it was ok. Looked like the 90's still. Google Reviews has a 3.6 rating for it, not that great.

Next up, Watertown, now this one has much better competition, there is no Wal-Mart's for a while (or Targets, etc.), and this time the Stop and Shop is a half a mile away. This is also the only retro Kmart in the state (even though that really shouldn't be a thing). Google Reviews has it at 3.3. This one has a poor interior, but not as bad as the next one.

Finally, Milford, This store is going in the next wave, it's not only in worse condition than both the Vernon and Watertown Kmarts', it's got a lot of competition within 5 miles. It's also barely possible to see from the road, so that doesn't help. It has a 3.5 on Google.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Milford- Some time before June 2018
Vernon- Late-2018
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

I like your assessment of the remaining CT locations. It doesn't make sense to me that Milford has survived so long since they also have a Sears in town and have two or three dollar stores in the plaza they are in. Watertown I can see to an extent since they have no competition for a while, but I would have thought being the small, retro looking store they are, they would have been closed long ago. Vernon is the only one that makes sense. I'm glad they are still there. It's a trek from Newington to there, but at least its not even farther. For a while during the past decade, they still had a good number of locations and held on to them longer than I expected. I can't believe Cromwell went before the ones that are left today. Even though they had Walmart down the road, they had good visibility off the highway, it was centrally located, and it was big in size. It was busy at times. I think the closure of Xpect Discounts next door did them in. I also think Kmart was given an easy out when ShopRite expressed interest in the plaza. I don't think they were any worse off than the others. They did go downhill in the last year though.

of what you said of competition, this was Bradlees and Caldor territory even in their hayday to the 1990s. I can see waht u mean. When did Norwalks close? Maybe CTs too wealthy for Kmart.

Norwalk closed in the early 80's, store was subdivided into TJ Maxx and Rickel Home Center, when Rickel went out of business in the 90's store sat vacant until Best Buy took over, you can still see the old Kmart design where they chopped it to off to build Best Buy.  On a side note, does anyone know when the Orange location on bull hill lane closed?? The site is still vacant today and very creepy looking

[JJBers]

Went to the Kmart in Vernon, CT this past Thursday and most merchandise was restocked that was missing from the last visit during their blowout sale. Also the store was much more organized this time. I wish they would have more variety in clothing/shoes and have all sizes they carry available. Would have loved to buy jeans in my size and a pair of shoes I like is currently unavailable in store and online in my size ONLY. But I'm glad they are staying for now. It didn't look good the last time.

I visited back in July, and I thought they did a OK job at keeping all the merchandise stocked.

I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy. They had tons of clothes yet they were out of a lot of general merchandise, paper goods, health and beauty etc. But then everything was back to full stock in August. It was just very weird, plus the GOB type signage was surely suspicious. Cromwell, even though its now gone, never had that type of issue with stock. They always had more than enough. However, Sears Holding never pulled this kind of blowout sale before this year. I hope Vernon escapes at least a few more waves of closures.

Well, here's my horribly guessed assessment for the remaining three stores in Connecticut, starting with:

Vernon, the only Kmart I've ever been too. It's about 3 miles away from a Wal-Mart, and has a Stop and Shop right across the street from it, but when I went inside, it was ok. Looked like the 90's still. Google Reviews has a 3.6 rating for it, not that great.

Next up, Watertown, now this one has much better competition, there is no Wal-Mart's for a while (or Targets, etc.), and this time the Stop and Shop is a half a mile away. This is also the only retro Kmart in the state (even though that really shouldn't be a thing). Google Reviews has it at 3.3. This one has a poor interior, but not as bad as the next one.

Finally, Milford, This store is going in the next wave, it's not only in worse condition than both the Vernon and Watertown Kmarts', it's got a lot of competition within 5 miles. It's also barely possible to see from the road, so that doesn't help. It has a 3.5 on Google.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Milford- Some time before June 2018
Vernon- Late-2018
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

I like your assessment of the remaining CT locations. It doesn't make sense to me that Milford has survived so long since they also have a Sears in town and have two or three dollar stores in the plaza they are in. Watertown I can see to an extent since they have no competition for a while, but I would have thought being the small, retro looking store they are, they would have been closed long ago. Vernon is the only one that makes sense. I'm glad they are still there. It's a trek from Newington to there, but at least its not even farther. For a while during the past decade, they still had a good number of locations and held on to them longer than I expected. I can't believe Cromwell went before the ones that are left today. Even though they had Walmart down the road, they had good visibility off the highway, it was centrally located, and it was big in size. It was busy at times. I think the closure of Xpect Discounts next door did them in. I also think Kmart was given an easy out when ShopRite expressed interest in the plaza. I don't think they were any worse off than the others. They did go downhill in the last year though.

of what you said of competition, this was Bradlees and Caldor territory even in their hayday to the 1990s. I can see waht u mean. When did Norwalks close? Maybe CTs too wealthy for Kmart.

Norwalk closed in the early 80's, store was subdivided into TJ Maxx and Rickel Home Center, when Rickel went out of business in the 90's store sat vacant until Best Buy took over, you can still see the old Kmart design where they chopped it to off to build Best Buy.  On a side note, does anyone know when the Orange location on bull hill lane closed?? The site is still vacant today and very creepy looking

According to the Caldor Rainbow, 1988. It became a Builder's Square after that?

[JJBers]

I'll be taking a trip some time this weekend (or Monday) to the Dunkin Donuts in Killingly, Connecticut (which comes straight out of the 90's) and the old Kmart in Putnam, CT that closed in late-July 2016, and so far has not been touched yet. (Hopefully)
I'll post photos shortly after I come back home.

[mrstupid]

i'm looking through kmart stores using the kmart store directory, and i found one from bridgehampton NY with a blue logo. could this be because of the bluelight specials or something else?

[TheFugitive]

It could have been a zoning restriction by the municipality or a design restriction
from the plaza owner that specified what colors can be used.

[JJBers]

Nevermind, I took the trip today since I'll be busy all weekend. Uploading photos right now, I'll post here in a half an hour.

[Pikapower]

^^ Never saw a blue Kmart sign before!

[JJBers]

Alright, here's the photos.


Putnam, Connecticut by JJBers, on Flickr
Apparently this was built in 1995 as a Kmart...

Putnam, Connecticut by JJBers, on Flickr
Sometime after the purchase of Sears, it became a Sears Grand until earlier this decade.

Putnam, Connecticut by JJBers, on Flickr
After then, it was a Kmart until it was announced it would be closing in April 2016.

Putnam, Connecticut by JJBers, on Flickr
Then the Kmart quietly closed in late-July 2016. It's been abandoned since.

Putnam, Connecticut by JJBers, on Flickr
Apparently this was a former GNC.

Putnam, Connecticut by JJBers, on Flickr

Some video

Full album here

[JJBers]

Here's a couple photos of the old Kmart in Putnam

[giantsfan2016]

And that right there is part of the stupidity that put Sears/KMART in the situation they are in now. Obviously they didn't convert every single KMART to Sears Essentials and/or Sears Grand, but converting the stores to that format and then changing them back to the KMART format was a colossal waste of money.