If you are over 20 years old or so, it’s safe to say that you have been inside a Kmart, or have at least heard of the once mega-giant retailer.
Kmart is mostly a thing of the past, but if you thought every Kmart was gone, think again.
There Are Still Two Kmart Stores Left in America
As of May 2024, the last two remaining Kmart locations are in Miami, Fla., and on Long Island, N.Y.
That number is a 33 percent decrease in the number of Kmarts that were left in the continental United States as of 2023, when one of the last remaining three locations, in New Jersey, closed for good.
Michael Lisicky, an author who has written several books on U.S. retail history, said, “Kmart was part of America. Everybody went to Kmart, whether you liked it or not. They had everything. You had toys. You had sporting goods. You had candy. You had stationery. It was something for everybody.”
Indeed, you could spend hours inside a Kmart. It is one of those stores that could actually over-stimulate you, due to the variety of choices. Some might recall Kmart as being a little messy and all over the place, but that was part of its magic.
Of course we have all been here to witness the slow, painful demise of our childhood shopping excursions. Kmart went from being the 15th-largest corporation in the world in the 1990s to declaring bankruptcy in 2002.
Kmart took a pounding from both Target and Walmart in the ’90s, and still continues to take punches from online retailers like Amazon nowadays.
After all of the troubles Kmart has seen, there are still two of them standing, so you can partake in some childhood nostalgia as an adult. You can drive your car to a brick-and-mortar Kmart, and possibly hear the announcement of the day’s blue light special come over the speakers.
Don’t believe me, still? Click here to get directions to Kmart in Miami. Click here to get directions to Kmart on Long Island.
Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today’s top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more!
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Gallery Credit: Wood
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