Did you know that Kmart once opened up a small chain of fast food restaurants, called Kmart Chef, at some of its store locations in the late '60s? The first one opened in 1967 at its Pontiac, Michigan store. They were free-standing restaurants that served burgers and the usual sides but closed in 1974 after operating at only 11 locations.
Through the years Kmart has experimented with introducing similar perks at its stores -- the closest thing to Kmart Chef today is K-Cafe, which serves a full breakfast menu in addition to other food options, but several of these have also been removed from remaining stores. Kmart also has a few odd features that never progressed past one operating prototype, such as Kwash (a laundromat in Iowa City) and Kmart Dental, an in-store dentist office in Miami.
Despite trying to revitalize their branding after 2000 and bringing onboard Martha Stewart's merchandise and other notable brands, it seems they just couldn't compete with the likes of Target and Walmart. It's a sad legacy for S. S. Kresge, the man that founded the company in the late 19th century (the first Kmart opened in 1962.)
So, let's take a look back at some vintage Kmart imagery from back in the day.
I love that there's a cop in this artist's rendering of the store's grand opening. Someone's gotta keep those unruly shoppers in line!
The very first Kmart to open, located in Garden City, Michigan.
The TV department in the early '60s.
The Kmart camera shop, in the pre-digital days when film needed to be developed.
A Kmart Chef restaurant...and double cheeseburgers for 44 cents!
The shoe department...so well stocked and neatly displayed!
Telescopes for less than $10....a bargain.
"And when we're done, you can ride in the trunk with the parcels."
Way neater and cleaner looking than the last Kmart I was ever in.
Rapid growth in the '60s.
A Kmart Grill restaurant.
And that's one sign we'll probably never see the likes of again. RIP Kmart.
hi Pam
ReplyDeleteI've been to the first Kmart
it's not that far from me
there's one that's closer though
I remember my Dad saying
that Kmart will be there
as long as I'm alive
he was right
he died in 2001
refreshments used to be
in the back of the store
I would get a pop
and my Mom would get a coffee
we would share a small bag of chips
my Mom passed away in 2015
I sure do miss those good ole days
How about the ham sandwiches came 4 in a pack with mustard! Therevwas 5 of us so my dadvwoukd gwt 2 bags andvwe all fot one sandwich and a half for us kids yaaay! Soo good!😜🥰🤗
DeleteThe last K-Mart in my town is closing down, and I'm bummed out about it.
ReplyDeleteIt was convenient. Not so many people, not the crowds, the noise, the sensory overload. You could go in there and buy a toaster, laundry detergent, whatever, and move at a nice easy pace.
I hate going into Wal-Mart. I gotta buy some shoe-strings this month, a couple other things, and now I gotta deal with the parking lot, the noise, and twenty minutes trying to find what I came there for.
As Iggy Pop once sang, "I'm buried deep in mass production."
M.P.
Buy the shoe strings at some place less "EXTRA" than Walmart - there must be at least 10 Dollar General's within a 30 minute radius of you. LOL. Or go to Walgreens/RiteAid/CVS...whatever drug store chain is in your area. I avoid Walmart whenever possible even if it means spending a little more.
DeleteThe KMart I shop most often, although that equals probably six times a year, is one that is closing. It's 20 miles from my house and was the second KMart built in our area. The first was an anchor store for a mall back in the mid70s. When my son was a toddler and we were still pre-Walmart up here in northern Michigan, we often shopped and then had lunch at KMart. Their cafe pricing was great and the boy loved the chicken strips. I always loved those department store cafeterias, back to my own childhood and going to Woolworths with my Mom.
ReplyDeleteI'm snagging a few good deals with this closing but nothing spectacular.
Debbie, I'm a little late, but I have to reply that I also loved the chicken strips in the cafeteria. I'll be turning 40 this year, and my grandpa was the general manger at many Kmarts.
DeleteAnybody remember Sernetts? That was kinda like a K-Mart deal. Back in the late '70's, early '80's.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to shop in there, with me and my brother in tow, and we would look at the fish in aquariums while she was shopping around. They sold fish there! Also, they had one of those old comic-book spinner racks and I could usually nag my Ma to buy me a couple comics. I still have 'em!
M.P.
We had a Murphy's Mart where I grew up. It had a cafeteria in the back of the store. There are two things I like to get at K-Mart: Joe Boxer pillows and Texas Steer boots. The K-Mart where I live closed down not too long ago.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to K-Mart all the time growing up, and now the last one in my area is one of those that was part of the recent announced closings. I last went to this particular K-Mart a couple years ago, and well....it wasn't the greatest place. I also hate that the Sears I went to all the time as a kid was announced in the recent closings. I remember their snack counter that reeked of popcorn, and getting Frozen Cokes there. I really remember their toy department, and getting all sorts of different 1980s toys there, from He-Man figures, G.I. Joe stuff, Transformers, etc.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful tribute, Pam. I grew up going to Kmart, and back in the '70s and '80s it was often a stop when my family went out shopping. Back then it was bustling with customers, buying up plenty of merchandise. I really regret how both Kmart and Sears, both venerable stores, have gone downhill. I do still shop at Kmart, especially during Christmas because they have layaway. (And Sears too.) Yet, it sometimes feels sad to see these places so much less busy than they used to be, and I guess I anticipate some day hearing on the news that they're closing for good. I hope that isn't so. It seems like so many things I used to love have declined or ceased to be.
ReplyDeleteretroawesomeness.blogspot.com
Thanks everyone for the comments. I have very little memory of Kmart as a kid; Sears and Caldor were the two places I remember going to the most with my parents.
ReplyDeleteHow about those giant console TV's? LOL The TV screen wasn't any bigger, it just looked that way. I could rattle off the make and model of most of the cars in the first parking lot. The one in the forefront is a 1963 Ford Falcon. My dad owned a new one. I remember shopping at KMart with my folks (ATTENTION KMART SHOPPERS!!) and then later when I was grown. My last experience reflected your own and I never went back. KMart and Sears have only themselves to blame, the market changed and they didn't. Remember the Penny Marshall commercials?
ReplyDeleteThe last Kmart here in Springfield, Missouri is in the process of closing. I've never had the experience you had with Kmart. Most in this area were clean and orderly. There were two close two my apartment. Soon there will be none. A few years ago, the one in my hometown of Lebanon, Missouri closed. People who worked there said it was one of the most profitable in the state. A person working in the Springfield store said corporate wanted to close the stores in Springfield, Branson and Rolla, Missouri (which were fairly profitable) and leave them in major markets where they were not doing good. To me this makes no sense to me.
ReplyDeleteKmart lost out to Wal Mart just like every other store is now. And sorry, Pam, but I hate dumb Donald Trump and find it ironic that the super-elitist would have gone to Kmart to shop.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's why millions of poor people identified with him despite his wealth. The guy went to Kmart and eats McDonalds like everyone else. Some snob like H.W. Bush or Hillary Clinton wouldn't be cought dead behaving like a pleb outside of a staged photo op.
DeleteI moved to the US (Pittsburgh) with my mother from England in the 70s as a toddler and being European we would walk to Kmart daily. We loved it and would always go to the cafe and get fries on that little cardboard dish, great memories.
ReplyDeleteNice article - I too had a the experience of entering a K-mart store (about 10 years ago), and it was like an abandoned store, that some of us had found, and we wandering around in!
ReplyDeleteI remember a K-Mart by me in like 1980 has a sectioned off restaurant area ... and a cloud of smoke over it!
Has everyone heard the (awesome) in-store Christmas music from K-Mart stores in '74? It's on YouTube, and rules!
Thanks again!
"Retro" Ron Albanese!
Pam, did you know K-Mart also tried KMart-Foods back in 1967 or maybe 1968? My mom was a cashier but too many hours on her feet; it was better work being a cocktail waitress in the local Sheraton lounge, she said. BTW, I remember almost every scene in your pictures; it had the most affordable shoes for a single Mom, and every KMart had that little Merry Go-Round in the front (that I ever visited), and the smell of fresh popped popcorn when you'd walk in. Great Post, and Regards, SAHD
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear from you, SAHD! I didn't know that about their food line and don't think I saw it mentioned when doing my brief research. Sadly I think Kmart's days are numbered.
DeleteKmart is and was a very poorly run country. Ack in 1992, Kmart bought a old communist chain of stores in czechosloviakia. Ow czech republic and slovakia. The stores in Prague and Bratalava were the most successful in the entire company. Even more successfull than in the united states! What did they do? they sold the entire chain to Tesco in breat Brittan about 1996. Now Tesco has expanded to more than 200 stores and is the most successful today in any of their markets ouside The UK. kmart should go bankrupt. They desirve it
ReplyDeleteI delight in my life knowing that I kinda had one foot in the past and one in the future. As a kid I had the chance to enjoy Caldor & K Mart and Woolworths ! As a 20 something I got to work at K Mart & even worked at Woolworth's until the day they closed down all the stores. It was like being a part of history. In this day & age I live in Las Vegas where I am happy to report I have tons of K Marts ! We also have many Walmarts, Kohls, Walgreens, CVS & Target! This town is shop happy & I love it ! The Kmart's out here are nice, but you can definitely compare them to other stores & see the "age" difference, but the ones I visit are quiet & clean & never seem to have to wait too long in line. Over the last few years they have tried to draw attention from the young & hip crowd by having various celebrities head a clothing line such as Selena Gomez, Adam Levine & Nicki Minaj. It was cool because it introduced some unique design patterns, styles & fabrics. The Joe Boxer pajamas bras & underwear are colorful & fun. K Mart is also great because they cater to bigger sizes as well. I tend to choose stores based on what can I get there that I cannot get at their competitors. I was just at K Mart on Friday checking out the holiday merch as that is the main thing I go for. Such cute decorative stuff for Easter ! K Mart is also a store that still offers a great & fair layaway plan.
ReplyDeleteI remember picking up several school dresses with my mom at the layaway counter!
DeleteTwo stories about KMart:
ReplyDelete1) An acquaintance worked there years ago as an assistant manager. One very busy Saturday (holiday season) he told a teenage worker to move the blue light from one end of the store to the other as he was making the announcement of the next Blue Light Special. The kid didn't turn off the light while he was moving it with the result that there was a literal stampede of shoppers following him through the store! Good times.
2) Back in the '80s, KMart management was cutting edge in developing computerized software for inventory tracking. Unfortunately, they made it optional for store managers to use it. As a result, most managers stuck to their paper checklists and spreadsheets (sounds archaic today, doesn't it?). In contrast, a few years later, Walmart adopted similar computerized inventory tracking. But they made it MANDATORY for their managers to use it. And you can see how that story turned out...
My family shopped Kmart when I was growing up, i worked at Kmart in the mid 80s when i was going to college and I shopped there there when my family was young. There are still several stores in my area but they are just a shell of what Kmart use to be. My best memories are from when I worked there. There were many students that worked with me and we had a lot fun while we did what was expected of us. In those days there was a lot of management and they treated us with respect and the customer was king. The general manager was a very classy guy,he addressed us by name and aways asked how we were. Kmart invented the discount retail segment too bad they lost their way.
ReplyDeleteOur Kmart is closing too, and it is very sad indeed. Our Kmart, until recently, stayed pretty neat and tidy and brightly lit. It was very surreal to be there because it seemed like you were ALWAYS the ONLY person there, lol.
ReplyDeleteI remember when it opened back in the 1970s. As a child I was upset that the previous store, Grants, closed - but I fell in love with Kmart when it came! It has been sad to see them deteriorate so much. Most Kmart stores I've visited during the past 20 have been poorly managed DUMPS. Ours was always nice. So sad. (BTW, the clothing choices for women that they've had recently have been godawful too - I wouldn't wear half that stuff even if I were 85 years old and named Agatha. GaaahhH!
My parents met at the Danville, VA Kmart in the 70s, he worked the auto center and she was a shoe girl, well I came along in 1977 so I guess I'm a Kmart baby. 😊
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was a Kid. I lived in a Small Town it has about 6000 people in it, but we had a Kmart, Publix, Win-Dixie, & a Kash N Karry. The Kmart was the goto store. Closest Mall or any other Store was 50miles away. So this was the only store besides the Mom and Pop Stores in the Downtown area. So, Growing Up of course first was Toys, Then Bikes, Then Records and Electronics, The First Nintendo Entertainment System and Gameboy. I miss the Cafe in the Back where they actually Cooked the Food it wasn't Microwaved. My Family Rolling me around in the cart through the different Departments. Blue Light Special. It is funny I'm almost 40years old and when I mention Blue Light Special Most young People today have no clue what I am talking about. Well it didn't take long for Our Store to go down hill, They built a Brand New Big Kmart down the street in the early 90's and I think the WalMart Opened its doors in 2000. After that I noticed Less people at Kmart and Less Items on the Shelves. Till it was gone. I still remember the inside of the Old Store the one with the Restaurant in the back. It is now a Harbor Freight. And the Big K was Torn Down and a Publix was Built in its place with a little Side Plaza. We had a Zayre but they didn't last that long. Oh the Memories.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Kmart was the First to build and run Super Centers. Look it Up Walmart Copied them and Followed through where as Kmart Stopped building them and before they knew what Happened Walmart Surpassed them in sales.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Louisville, KY. I don't remember there being an actual cafe but there may have been. Our Kmart had a little deli as soon as you walked in. They sold sub sandwiches and popcorn. After they turned into Big K, they did away with that deli and replaced it with a Little Caesar's. Sears bought them out and it wasn't long until they started closing them all. Loved shopping at the first Kmart with my mom and aunts.
ReplyDeleteMy mom and I use to go eat at there grill once a week or get the deli sandwiches, Kmart was in the city of La Puente California later it became City of Industry, it was a very nice store it had a market garden center and even a lumber yard I miss the store now it's just a 10 acre dirt lot, Sears Roebuck came to the Puente hills mall in the mid 70s that closed in 2018 (back to the Future twin pines mall) across from the Kmart was a big Schwinn bike distribution center in the lobby they displayed all the products they made in every color and size good memories
ReplyDeleteDid all you US folks know that Kmart is still in Australia but is now not financially connected with the original company? In the early 60s Kresge Co.looked to Australia as a potential source of growth but they decided to hook up with a local company. That company was G.J Coles Pty.Ltd., one of Australia's biggest retailers. The first store opened in a suburb of Melbourne (Burwood) in Victoria in mid 1969. I remember going there as a kid with my dad. Many items were labelled as "Kmart/Kresge Corp." and the range of items was just great. It was a very successful store which still operates to this day. Coles bought out Kresge's holdings in their Australian offshoot in 1994 and it is now a completely Aussie company with no ties to the US operation at all. It is very successful and operates more than 200 stores across Australia and New Zealand. Sadly Kmart Australia does not carry the range of products it used to have and there is no eat-in restaurant anymore (known here as "Hollies") but it is the place to go if you want cheap stuff that is of reasonable quality.
ReplyDeleteIt's all fucked up!,
ReplyDeleteI remember the last time I set foot in Kmart in 2016. The sight that greeted me was like ancient Rome when its decline was well along. Just as news stories had been reporting, there were torn boxes strewn about without rhyme or reason, items placed on half-empty shelves and some employees walked from place-to-place without cheer or any seeming purpose. Sad sight it was. I needed two heavy-duty (or sturdier construction) folding chairs to take to the beach for surf fishing. I eventually found two suitable and matching chairs then I went up front to pay for the items. The process I just described sapped some of my energy just as recalling it now has done.
ReplyDeleteOur local Kmart had stood, dependably, for decades; maybe since the late-'60s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, on Street Road. Kmart was thriving in '76 when I was a young married fellow. My wife, daughter and I went there often enough. It could have been every three weeks or so on average. I needed special Kodak film discs for a fancy new camera we'd just gotten, then it was off to Kmart so we could take pictures of our daughter on the day of her First Holy Communion. Yeah, Dad saved the day. I remember getting a kiss from my wife because I'd gotten back in record time from Kmart and I was focused on what was important. Thar was forty years ago.
When the demolition of our Kmart got underway it was a sad sight in those weeks as the building was coming down I recalled the hours spent inside shopping over the decades with loved ones.
There were several large piles of debris at the end. One pile was the twisted and now rusty steel beams which made up the building’s superstructure/skeleton. The other piles were masonry debris with seemingly no single piece being larger than a softball. This is the new and modern way of how buildings are demolished. I've seen the same method used in other places in the area. Within a year, a brand new Giant Supermarket opened in the footprint of our old Kmart and the cycle of business began anew.
I am looking for Cynthia Smith. She worked at the hollywood Kmart Store # 4296 in the early 1980s. She had a Son named matthew. This is randy A.
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