More Kmart stores closing

[ftballfan]

I remember in the late 1970s/early '80s, the Kmart in Soo, Michigan was little more than a pole-barn-type structure out on the edge of town.  They remodeled and expanded the building in the early '90s so that it looked less like a pole-barn.

Sault Ste Marie getting a Walmart Supercenter is what ultimately did that Kmart in.

More like Meijer coming to town did Soo Kmart in (same with Manistee, Acme, and Escanaba).

There will be only 15 Kmarts left in Michigan as of January 2018: Belleville, Charlevoix, Clio, Grayling, Greenville, Hastings, Lake Orion, Marine City, Marshall, Menominee, Midland, Oscoda, Richmond, Warren, and Waterford. Many of these communities either don't have any other big box stores or are on the opposite side of town as other big boxes. I think Kmart had over 100 stores in MI (and over 2,000 nationwide) at its peak.

[Flint1979]

Bay City's is closed I was in that area on Friday night.

[Flint1979]

I remember in the late 1970s/early '80s, the Kmart in Soo, Michigan was little more than a pole-barn-type structure out on the edge of town.  They remodeled and expanded the building in the early '90s so that it looked less like a pole-barn.

Sault Ste Marie getting a Walmart Supercenter is what ultimately did that Kmart in.

More like Meijer coming to town did Soo Kmart in (same with Manistee, Acme, and Escanaba).

There will be only 15 Kmarts left in Michigan as of January 2018: Belleville, Charlevoix, Clio, Grayling, Greenville, Hastings, Lake Orion, Marine City, Marshall, Menominee, Midland, Oscoda, Richmond, Warren, and Waterford. Many of these communities either don't have any other big box stores or are on the opposite side of town as other big boxes. I think Kmart had over 100 stores in MI (and over 2,000 nationwide) at its peak.

The one in Clio is on the opposite side of I-75 from a Walmart. The one in Midland is indeed on the opposite side of town from Meijer and Walmart. The one in Greenville is in between Meijer and Walmart all within about a quarter mile of each other. I'm not positive but I believe Mt. Pleasant still has a Kmart as well.

[roadman65]

I saw the one in New Smyrna Beach, FL is now closed.

[Nanis]

the one in Willow Grove closed
now only 52 Kmarts in PA
NJ only has 18
DE only has 4

[jp the roadgeek]

New England now has 21 K-Marts (soon to be 19) left:  3 in CT (Milford, Watertown, Vernon); 9 in MA (Acton, Billerica, Brocton, Holyoke, Hyannis, Palmer, Saugus Somerville, Webster); 2 in NH (Hooksett, Rochester [closing soon]); 2 in VT (Bennington, Rutland [closing soon]); and 5 in ME (Auburn, Augusta, Madawaska, Presque Isle, Waterville).  Totally gone from RI

[stormwatch7721]

Does anyone know what happened to the Wooster and Medina Ohio K-marts?

[thenetwork]

Does anyone know what happened to the Wooster and Medina Ohio K-marts?

Medina and nearby Montrose/Copley were the first 2 "Super Kmart" formats which opened up in the 90s -- these were the Kmart equivalents of the Walmart Super Center (retail and grocery).  They never did good on the grocery side, competing with Tops and locally run Buehlers, both within a mile of Super K,  so by the mid 00s, they closed off the grocery side, dropped the 24-hour operation and became just a Big K.  With (regular-sized) Wal-Mart and Target within a mile of Kmart and the recession, they wound up closing for good.

[busman_49]

Does anyone know what happened to the Wooster and Medina Ohio K-marts?

Medina's Kmart was downsized to a regular Kmart in the spring of 2011 and ultimately shut down for good in 2012.  As for Wooster, its last day was September 3, 2017.

[stormwatch7721]

Thanks for the Info, Ryan. Those are the two I went to as a kid.

[busman_49]

Thanks for the Info, Ryan. Those are the two I went to as a kid.

You're welcome!

The Kmart I visited most often was Wooster (we lived in Orrville), but Wadsworth & Barberton were ones I ended up in occasionally too.  I spent a lot of money on 35mm film at the Super Kmart in Montrose before they pulled the plug on that one.  I think I was only at the Medina Super K once, and that was shortly after it opened.

[ftballfan]

I remember in the late 1970s/early '80s, the Kmart in Soo, Michigan was little more than a pole-barn-type structure out on the edge of town.  They remodeled and expanded the building in the early '90s so that it looked less like a pole-barn.

Sault Ste Marie getting a Walmart Supercenter is what ultimately did that Kmart in.

More like Meijer coming to town did Soo Kmart in (same with Manistee, Acme, and Escanaba).

There will be only 15 Kmarts left in Michigan as of January 2018: Belleville, Charlevoix, Clio, Grayling, Greenville, Hastings, Lake Orion, Marine City, Marshall, Menominee, Midland, Oscoda, Richmond, Warren, and Waterford. Many of these communities either don't have any other big box stores or are on the opposite side of town as other big boxes. I think Kmart had over 100 stores in MI (and over 2,000 nationwide) at its peak.

The one in Clio is on the opposite side of I-75 from a Walmart. The one in Midland is indeed on the opposite side of town from Meijer and Walmart. The one in Greenville is in between Meijer and Walmart all within about a quarter mile of each other. I'm not positive but I believe Mt. Pleasant still has a Kmart as well.

The one in Mt. Pleasant is closing in January, along with Clinton Township and Battle Creek.

[Flint1979]

I remember in the late 1970s/early '80s, the Kmart in Soo, Michigan was little more than a pole-barn-type structure out on the edge of town.  They remodeled and expanded the building in the early '90s so that it looked less like a pole-barn.

Sault Ste Marie getting a Walmart Supercenter is what ultimately did that Kmart in.

More like Meijer coming to town did Soo Kmart in (same with Manistee, Acme, and Escanaba).

There will be only 15 Kmarts left in Michigan as of January 2018: Belleville, Charlevoix, Clio, Grayling, Greenville, Hastings, Lake Orion, Marine City, Marshall, Menominee, Midland, Oscoda, Richmond, Warren, and Waterford. Many of these communities either don't have any other big box stores or are on the opposite side of town as other big boxes. I think Kmart had over 100 stores in MI (and over 2,000 nationwide) at its peak.

The one in Clio is on the opposite side of I-75 from a Walmart. The one in Midland is indeed on the opposite side of town from Meijer and Walmart. The one in Greenville is in between Meijer and Walmart all within about a quarter mile of each other. I'm not positive but I believe Mt. Pleasant still has a Kmart as well.

The one in Mt. Pleasant is closing in January, along with Clinton Township and Battle Creek.

Yep, along with Battle Creek and Clinton Twp.

[adventurernumber1]

Well, I guess the time has come. According to my parents, who heard the news from other people around town, both Kmart stores here in Dalton, Georgia will be closing down at the end of the month. It will be very sad to see the nostalgic chain from my childhood go, but after it goes, something good will surely be coming in its place, so we will just have wait to see what that will be.

[thenetwork]

The former Big Kmart in my town is going to be converted to a U-Haul trailer and indoor self-storage center.  Not a bad turnaround time of a a building and large lot being a little more than a year of being closed.

[LM117]

The former Big Kmart in my town is going to be converted to a U-Haul trailer and indoor self-storage center.  Not a bad turnaround time of a a building and large lot being a little more than a year of being closed.

The former Kmart in Goldsboro, NC where I used to live is becoming a Planet Fitness. That Kmart has been closed since March. While I'm not overly thrilled over Planet Fitness, at least it beats the alternative of an empty, decaying building.

[Big John]

The former Big Kmart in my town is going to be converted to a U-Haul trailer and indoor self-storage center.  Not a bad turnaround time of a a building and large lot being a little more than a year of being closed.

The former K-mart in Green Bay (east) had been closed for many years before becoming a U-Haul center.

[Flint1979]

The former Big Kmart in my town is going to be converted to a U-Haul trailer and indoor self-storage center.  Not a bad turnaround time of a a building and large lot being a little more than a year of being closed.

That's funny because the former Kmart on Bay Road in Saginaw, Michigan turned into a CubeSmart.

[Flint1979]

There are a lot of abandoned Kmart's in the Flint area. I can think of about where 4 of them are off the top of my head and Genesee County only has one Kmart left and it's in Clio. There's one on Miller, one on Pierson, one on Dort Hwy., one on Saginaw in Grand Blanc and many others it's crazy that Flint, Michigan a city that still has around 90,000 people doesn't have a single Kmart.

[jp the roadgeek]

Trying to think of what each KMart became in my area.

Southington and Bristol, CT.  Both became Price Chopper supermarkets (Bristol was formerly a Caldor)
Plainville, CT: This one was open for less than 2 years.  Opened with the reconstructed plaza.  Now I think it's DSW shoes.
Wallingford, CT:  Old one became a movie plex.  Newer Super K became Walmart Supercenter
New Haven, CT: Super K became Walmart Supercenter
East Haven, CT: Became National Wholesale Liquidators, then an indoor flea market. CarMax now sits on the property.
Manchester, CT: Building torn down.  Space is now empty.  May become a Walmart Supercenter
Waterbury, CT: Now an Ollie's Bargain Outlet
Cromwell, CT: Closed about a year ago.  ShopRite coming soon.
Southbury, CT: Just closed recently.  Vacant (formerly Caldor)
Putnam, CT: Vacant
West Haven, CT: Torn down.  Empty spot.
Norwalk, CT: Now Best Buy
Torrington, CT: Now Ocean State Job Lot
New Milford, CT: Now a Home Depot (?)
Great Barrington, MA: Vacant
Springfield, MA: Vacant
Hadley, MA: Now Target

[kkt]

One near here (130th and Aurora) became a Petsmart.

[ftballfan]

There are a lot of abandoned Kmart's in the Flint area. I can think of about where 4 of them are off the top of my head and Genesee County only has one Kmart left and it's in Clio. There's one on Miller, one on Pierson, one on Dort Hwy., one on Saginaw in Grand Blanc and many others it's crazy that Flint, Michigan a city that still has around 90,000 people doesn't have a single Kmart.

The ones on Miller, Dort, and South Saginaw closed within the last several years. The Pierson one closed during their 2002 bankruptcy and there was one on North Saginaw in the Beecher area which closed prior to the bankruptcy.

Here is a link of former Kmarts in Michigan (which hasn't been updated in recent years): http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/cactusbob2k2/kmart.html

Speaking of Flint, their population has dropped dramatically in the last 50-60 years. At one point, Flint was larger than Grand Rapids. Now, Flint Public Schools is down to one high school (although several other school districts serve small parts of the city of Flint).

Speaking of Grand Rapids, there aren't any Kmarts left in the immediate Grand Rapids area (the last two closed just before Christmas 2016) and there are only two left within 50 miles of Grand Rapids (Greenville and Hastings)

[LM117]

Another Kmart that I was familiar with other than the one in Goldsboro, NC was the one in nearby Wilson. It was located in Gateway Plaza at the corner of Forest Hills Road and Raleigh Road Parkway. It closed in 2003 during the bankruptcy closings. The building was torn down in 2007 and a Home Depot was built in it's place, which barely lasted a year. Home Depot closed in 2010 and Hobby Lobby moved into the building and has been there ever since.

[DJStephens]

There are a lot of abandoned Kmart's in the Flint area. I can think of about where 4 of them are off the top of my head and Genesee County only has one Kmart left and it's in Clio. There's one on Miller, one on Pierson, one on Dort Hwy., one on Saginaw in Grand Blanc and many others it's crazy that Flint, Michigan a city that still has around 90,000 people doesn't have a single Kmart.

The ones on Miller, Dort, and South Saginaw closed within the last several years. The Pierson one closed during their 2002 bankruptcy and there was one on North Saginaw in the Beecher area which closed prior to the bankruptcy.

Here is a link of former Kmarts in Michigan (which hasn't been updated in recent years): http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/cactusbob2k2/kmart.html

Speaking of Flint, their population has dropped dramatically in the last 50-60 years. At one point, Flint was larger than Grand Rapids. Now, Flint Public Schools is down to one high school (although several other school districts serve small parts of the city of Flint).

Speaking of Grand Rapids, there aren't any Kmarts left in the immediate Grand Rapids area (the last two closed just before Christmas 2016) and there are only two left within 50 miles of Grand Rapids (Greenville and Hastings)

Flint, MI at one time possibly had two huge GM operations- Buick Assembly and an Engine Plant similar to Tonowanda, NY.   Correct me if wrong.   

[thenetwork]

There are a lot of abandoned Kmart's in the Flint area. I can think of about where 4 of them are off the top of my head and Genesee County only has one Kmart left and it's in Clio. There's one on Miller, one on Pierson, one on Dort Hwy., one on Saginaw in Grand Blanc and many others it's crazy that Flint, Michigan a city that still has around 90,000 people doesn't have a single Kmart.

The ones on Miller, Dort, and South Saginaw closed within the last several years. The Pierson one closed during their 2002 bankruptcy and there was one on North Saginaw in the Beecher area which closed prior to the bankruptcy.

Here is a link of former Kmarts in Michigan (which hasn't been updated in recent years): http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/cactusbob2k2/kmart.html

Speaking of Flint, their population has dropped dramatically in the last 50-60 years. At one point, Flint was larger than Grand Rapids. Now, Flint Public Schools is down to one high school (although several other school districts serve small parts of the city of Flint).

Speaking of Grand Rapids, there aren't any Kmarts left in the immediate Grand Rapids area (the last two closed just before Christmas 2016) and there are only two left within 50 miles of Grand Rapids (Greenville and Hastings)

Flint, MI at one time possibly had two huge GM operations- Buick Assembly and an Engine Plant similar to Tonowanda, NY.   Correct me if wrong.   

They also had a big bus factory up there as well, IIRC.