The last Kmart ever built.... Somers Point, NJ
Folks, you are about to see the very LAST Kmart ever built from the ground up. Some may argue it was the store at 7501 W Washington Ave in Las Vegas, NV but I believe they were opened around the same time POST bankruptcy (2002). This particular location opened on October 19th 2002. Yes, these stores hired employees and opened their doors as the company was bankrupt. Cant say many stores have done that before. Since these stores opened, Kmart hasn't opened a brand new, built from the ground up store. Thats 12 years of no new stores. Sure, they went to the Sears Grand/Essentials concept and most all of those stores reverted back to Kmart and yes all those stores got a full remodel and new logo and a grand re-opening, but I'm not counting those. This store has very few photos of it, and I had the chance to go and visit this store on a windy afternoon in August. Enjoy!
Isn't this a great looking facade?
Garden Center Entrance
Main Entrance
Walking into the store from the main entrance
Store Map
Pharmacy Department (Odd, as almost every store in South Jersey had to say "Department" after the word Pharmacy so perhaps it was a local law?)
Toy Zone
An entire section for Pets. Most Kmart DO NOT have this!
Looking from the back to front at Boys and Girls clothing
SportsCenter/Sporting Goods
Garden Center Entrance
Notice theres NO divider between the garden center and the rest of the store?
Some appliances and the electronics department
More of the toys section (in the back left corner of the store)
Mens/Young Mens section
Mannequins in a Kmart? YES!!
Juniors section (notice the more modern racks and displays)
Main Entrance
Belt driven registers (Makes you wonder)
Little Caesars Pizza Station
No auto center was ever present here. Unsure if anything else was originally in the store. Where the customer service and the bathroom was, it did seem like it was modified a bit. This store has open ceilings, which makes the store feel MUCH bigger. It was wet lit and temperature controlled. Most sections were well stocks and organized. If they were, employees were fixing them. The layout was a bit different them most stores, but very easy to navigate. It was odd they STILL used that gray lines on the floor to outline each section in 2002. This store opened with the same Kmart logo, as it was NEVER a "Big K". The signage is all original (though the Little Caesars might be updated a bit). This was easily one of the nicest Kmart stores ive ever been in and I hope everyone reading this can visit one day!
