K-Mart

[giantsfan2016]

From DEAD AND DYING RETAIL:

Tragic. Looks to be some bad wildfires yet again in California and this time, it has fully engulfed a Kmart store in Santa Rosa, CA.

[JJBers]

Vernon, Connecticut Kmart:

[JJBers]

Oof
Ad for Southbury Kmart

[danfifepsu]

the last remaining Kmart in Rhode ISland is closing, WHY?. ALso after the one in Omaha closes in January ,Only one Kmart will remain in Nebraska, a real small one in a small town in Alliance thats in the western part and a Shopko Express is near it. ONLY ONE NOW REMAINS IN ALABAMA, in Albertville and they had 17 left 2 yrs ago. ONLY ONE IS LEFT IN UTAH in ST GEORGES and all in SAlt lake city are gone, they had a dozen in Utah left like 2 yrs ago. 2 remain in ARKANSAS, OKLAHOMA AND MISSIPPI AND only like 4 left in TExas. whats that show of Kmart?

[JJBers]

the last remaining Kmart in Rhode ISland is closing, WHY?. ALso after the one in Omaha closes in January ,Only one Kmart will remain in Nebraska, a real small one in a small town in Alliance thats in the western part and a Shopko Express is near it. ONLY ONE NOW REMAINS IN ALABAMA, in Albertville and they had 17 left 2 yrs ago. ONLY ONE IS LEFT IN UTAH in ST GEORGES and all in SAlt lake city are gone, they had a dozen in Utah left like 2 yrs ago. 2 remain in ARKANSAS, OKLAHOMA AND MISSIPPI AND only like 4 left in TExas. whats that show of Kmart?

Three left in Connecticut, and Milford is under heavy threat. Leaving only 2 left then.

[danfifepsu]

the last remaining Kmart in Rhode ISland is closing, WHY?. ALso after the one in Omaha closes in January ,Only one Kmart will remain in Nebraska, a real small one in a small town in Alliance thats in the western part and a Shopko Express is near it. ONLY ONE NOW REMAINS IN ALABAMA, in Albertville and they had 17 left 2 yrs ago. ONLY ONE IS LEFT IN UTAH in ST GEORGES and all in SAlt lake city are gone, they had a dozen in Utah left like 2 yrs ago. 2 remain in ARKANSAS, OKLAHOMA AND MISSIPPI AND only like 4 left in TExas. whats that show of Kmart?

Three left in Connecticut, and Milford is under heavy threat. Leaving only 2 left then.

some states w 1-3 left, whats that show of Kmart?

[shore72]

Those more rural states are exactly where I thought Kmart would still be thriving. Has Wal*mart become that dominant in every last corner? Probably so. The Kmart's around me survive either because Wally World is kept out by zoning or because traffic congestion makes it too much trouble to drive to the "better" part of town where they're located. They're a niche player with less & less of a niche all the time.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Not only does Walmart has something to do with it, but also Target, another one of Kmart's big rivals. I think some of the working class families that have quit shopping at Kmart have started shopping at Target, as well as people who hate Walmart for their business practices.

[buzz86us]

I recall an arch shaped Kmart in New Jersey outside of now York City that closed then operated as Stop and Shop and is now some type of music venue

[esw01407]

Those more rural states are exactly where I thought Kmart would still be thriving. Has Wal*mart become that dominant in every last corner? Probably so. The Kmart's around me survive either because Wally World is kept out by zoning or because traffic congestion makes it too much trouble to drive to the "better" part of town where they're located. They're a niche player with less & less of a niche all the time.

Walmart basically has Northeast/Central PA dominated and Target is missing from many towns, even college towns like Bloomsburg with 10,000-15,000 people. The surviving Kmarts I'm aware of survive for various reasons: Berwick (Ruralish), Hazleton (Ethnic), Williamsport (No Walmart) Shamokin Dam (Location, tail end of the Golden Strip, but the rumor is the land has already been sold for it's next use)

[JJBers]

Those more rural states are exactly where I thought Kmart would still be thriving. Has Wal*mart become that dominant in every last corner? Probably so. The Kmart's around me survive either because Wally World is kept out by zoning or because traffic congestion makes it too much trouble to drive to the "better" part of town where they're located. They're a niche player with less & less of a niche all the time.

Walmart basically has Northeast/Central PA dominated and Target is missing from many towns, even college towns like Bloomsburg with 10,000-15,000 people. The surviving Kmarts I'm aware of survive for various reasons: Berwick (Ruralish), Hazleton (Ethnic), Williamsport (No Walmart) Shamokin Dam (Location, tail end of the Golden Strip, but the rumor is the land has already been sold for it's next use)

Connecticut along with basically the rest of Southern NE is retail hell. No brand can dominate for too long. Connecticut seems to be on par with Massachusetts in terms of dominance, due to being just as dense. Connecticut has had Caldor, Ames, Bradlees, and many others based in the state.

Kmart came into what was already a 2-way tie with Caldor and Bradlees, and eventually a 3-way tie with Ames coming in. Then the giant Wal-Mart came in. I feel Wal-Mart wiped out many the large brands based in Connecticut, but local chains manged to survive. This has killed all three, leaving Kmart to compete. Stop and Shop has also jumped their presence in Connecticut in recent years.

[danfifepsu]

 KMARTS AND SEARS CLOSING incl the LAST ONE N ALAABAMA. ONLY 450 Kmarts wll remain by FEB

[JJBers]

Kmart in Watertown, CT.

Kmart (Watertown, Connecticut) by JJBers, on Flickr
Kmart in Vernon, CT. (Higher resolution than fourm default)

Kmart (Vernon, Connecticut) by JJBers, on Flickr

[AmesNewington]

I went to Kmart in Vernon yesterday and the store was in the same disorganized shape it was in July. Perhaps not as bad. These blowout sales allow the store to just tack up signs in every aisle saying that everything is on sale. No sale tags, some prices aren't even in front of items. There is also a reduced selection in all departments. I went specifically went for a pair of Wrangler Jeans they only carry and the table they were on was so messy and big that even if they had my size I wasn't going to rummage through. Other areas of the store resemble a tag sale. Merchandise is just thrown on most of the shelves. I don't know what's going on, but this is in no way indication Kmart is even trying anymore. I have to say that Cromwell went out at the right time. They were almost always an organized store with plenty of merchandise. 

[giantsfan2016]

Target and Walmart also sells Wrangler Brand jeans. I don't remember if Kohl's does or not. So you have at least two other options to find your jeans.

[JJBers]

I went to Kmart in Vernon yesterday and the store was in the same disorganized shape it was in July. Perhaps not as bad. These blowout sales allow the store to just tack up signs in every aisle saying that everything is on sale. No sale tags, some prices aren't even in front of items. There is also a reduced selection in all departments. I went specifically went for a pair of Wrangler Jeans they only carry and the table they were on was so messy and big that even if they had my size I wasn't going to rummage through. Other areas of the store resemble a tag sale. Merchandise is just thrown on most of the shelves. I don't know what's going on, but this is in no way indication Kmart is even trying anymore. I have to say that Cromwell went out at the right time. They were almost always an organized store with plenty of merchandise. 

Last time I went inside was also July. It was ok, but it was disorganized. I was more surprised on how much there was compared to what I had heard from other Kmart's. Though they had a sucky food isle.

[JJBers]

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.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

Update for Watertown. Now that I've been there, it's not as great as I thought. There's only a couple of registers, and the store is pretty small. I would say it'll now only live to 2019, or very slimy, 2020 (jeez that means it'll be nearly 50 years old).

[AmesNewington]

Target and Walmart also sells Wrangler Brand jeans. I don't remember if Kohl's does or not. So you have at least two other options to find your jeans.

The specific one I wanted was out of stock in all stores including Kmart until I checked Kmart's website and they had got them in again. The website said Vernon had them in stock in the size I was looking for(which I realize may not be accurate). I assumed that they had just gotten a new shipment in and would have a decent selection. After not finding my size in Vernon, I decided to order them from their website. I figured it would have been better to get them from an actual Kmart location, but I suppose this is the reason they are closing stores left and right. Never enough stock in the store.

[AmesNewington]

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.

So here's a rough set of possbile dates for closure:
Watertown- 2019 or to Chapter 11.

Update for Watertown. Now that I've been there, it's not as great as I thought. There's only a couple of registers, and the store is pretty small. I would say it'll now only live to 2019, or very slimy, 2020 (jeez that means it'll be nearly 50 years old).

I was thinking Sears Holdings would finally cease around the year 2020, making it through the end of the decade. If that were the case, I don't see any CT location remaining (both Sears and Kmart) closing before the corporation goes under unless something with the lease of a particular location is up before then. I don't see a difference in the operation of the final three Kmarts. I do believe Vernon is probably the best of the three and the best located. They were very busy yesterday and full carts to add to that. The service isn't so bad either. Cromwell was hit or miss in the end, but we never had any issue with the employees. It was the customers that were the problem. Many scary people and some very confrontational ones. Vernon customers seem a bit nicer.

[MikeinBuffalo]

This college library search system I can use is going to eat up a ton of my time  ;D

Was really interested in learning Kmart planned 4 Super Kmart Centers for Buffalo, but they were cancelled. One of them close to me was supposed to be where the Westgate Plaza is now. Apparently it would have replaced a Big Kmart on the opposite street corner (closed in 2002, demolished in 2006 for a Lowes).

[JimSawhill]

Southbury, Connecticut KMART.

Wasn't it a branch of Reads then when Reads merged into JordanMarsh a JordanMarsh before it became a KMart? Wasn't there an GU there? What is it now?

[scottw73]

Southbury, Connecticut KMART.

Wasn't it a branch of Reads then when Reads merged into JordanMarsh a JordanMarsh before it became a KMart? Wasn't there an GU there? What is it now?

You're absolutely correct Jim, it was a Reeds/Jordan Marsh before it was Kmart, the Grand Union was located where Stop and Shop is now

[MikeinBuffalo]

Visited the second of the last two Kmarts left in Buffalo, in West Seneca, N.Y.

It's a later one, built in the 1990s, and is much more spacious feeling than the one on Hertel, which is clearly a mid-70s design. I did not realize until later, but this Kmart is on the site of the former Seneca Mall. When the mall was demolished in the 1990s after struggling for years (the McKinley and Galleria malls finally put it out of its misery), a plan for a grand new shopping plaza was conceived, called the Shops at West Seneca. Plans included a Lowes, movie theatre, Wal-Mart and other stores were planned, but only this Kmart and a Tops were built. There still is rubble from the demolished mall on the lot.

It didn't seem to be as well-stocked as the other location. What was cool to see were the old advertising signs still on the wall from the 90s. Most were covered over with blue paper, but some had fallen off to reveal old jean ads and whatnot.



Outside.

Its also neat to see whats left of the K-Cafe. They've walled it off with shelves, but all the kitchen equipment remains in the back.

The choking sign caught my eye first. This area is "blocked" with shelving and fixtures, but I snuck around behind them. Looks like there was supposed to be a counter here at one point.




Other side of the counter. Among the random crap in the back, the kitchen equipment is clearly visable, including a pizza oven.



I see you, popcorn maker. The blue tarp covers the wall, and I'll bet the KCafe sign is still there.




About 20 minutes away is another old Kmart, Transit and French for those interested. This one has been turned into a Daves Christmas Wonderland, a popular seasonal/outdoor chain up here (think Pier One). The interior was very bleak, and half the store was roped off. The layaway counter still has old Kmart signs behind it.  Again, this is clearly a 70s store.

[danfifepsu]

Kmart is closing 64 more stores, and wll just have 370 left after this wave. Whats that show of Kmart?

[buzz86us]

their selling K-Mart shirts online for $1.50 I just picked one up because i have points to use on clothes.. maybe in 5 years it'll be a collectors item!

[danfifepsu]

their selling K-Mart shirts online for $1.50 I just picked one up because i have points to use on clothes.. maybe in 5 years it'll be a collectors item!

they will nly have 370 stores left

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

The only Kmart stores left will be located in Australia and New Zealand once the U.S. locations close.

* Kmart Australia has 214 stores
** Kmart Tyre & Auto has 246 stores

* Kmart New Zealand 20 stores

[JSIDA17]

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

That building next to the Kmart was not a GNC, rather it was a Big Lots (it was a T.J. Maxx before they moved to the Killingly Commons). This Kmart location had a Little Caesars/K-Cafe as well as a portrait studio (I don't believe it was a Olan Mills, but it was right by the entrance of the store) before it was converted into a Sears Essentials in 2005.

[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

That building next to the Kmart was not a GNC, rather it was a Big Lots (it was a T.J. Maxx before they moved to the Killingly Commons). This Kmart location had a Little Caesars/K-Cafe as well as a portrait studio (I don't believe it was a Olan Mills, but it was right by the entrance of the store) before it was converted into a Sears Essentials in 2005.

Yeah, I know now. I just heard someone say it was a GMC.

[shore72]

A few weeks ago I ventured in to the newly remodeled Kmart in Rehoboth, DE. The building was subdivided & the store is now perhaps 1/3 the size it used to be; it's now deeper than it is wide. They essentially shrunk each department. Electronics is now a couple aisles in the back rear corner without a separate counter & maybe 3 or 4 TV's on display. All of the checkout counters have been replaced with one in the corner near the front which is similar to what you'd find in a newer Dollar General, with a couple registers. I wish them well with this experiment, which seemed odd to me.