Here is the Kmart in Pineville Louisiana which closed on July 31,2016. This store has been featured on the blog so it was sad to see yet another featured store close. These photos were taken about a month before the store closed for good.
Most of the electronics were moved to the front of the store, but a few items remained in the electronics department.
The aisles at the back corners of the store were in the process of being broken apart.
The garden shop still had a lot of items left.
Looking towards the seasonal and toy departments from the closed pharmacy counter.
Groceries
Sundries
Registers with old ice machine in the center of the picture.
Near the entrance of the store.
Housewares
Still a ton of clothes left at this point.
An interesting fixture, I wonder what it was.
The furniture and electronics departments were mostly just down to fixtures.
The other back corner of the store which was formerly sporting goods is mostly gone.
Looking back at the clothes from the back of the store.
Back aisle of the store near sporting goods.
More housewares
Back aisle of the store near the remaining hardware section.
The aisle to the layaway/restrooms was one of the only aisles with products remaining in the back corner of the store.
Battery display, one of the items that was brought in after the merger with Sears over a decade ago.
Auto department signage
More collapsed shelving units at the back of the store.
Layaway counter
Empty hardware aisle with the most recent signage that was rolled out in 2015.
A wide view of the furniture/electronics department.
Registers with Big Kmart sign.
Shopping center sign with the Australian Kmart logo.
Some views of the store exterior.
At the moment there are no announced plans in the works for this building.
It's sad to see this Kmart go, but thanks for the photos. This seemed like one of the better Kmarts in terms of state of upkeep and shopper traffic, but sadly it is gone now. Hopefully the Australian Kmart sign will be put into use at another location just due yo the oddity of it. Speaking of signage, you should have made a bid on the Walkman woman tile. What a wonderful souvenir that would have been!
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that the electronics department in the photo has more electronics than many Sears do now even in it's liquidated state, but oh well I guess.
I wonder how many people brought/buy car batteries at Kmart given that they don't offer installation anymore. Sure, batteries are not hard to install in most cases (though I know some GM and Chrysler cars put batteries in very odd places like the rear wheel wells), but I'm guessing most people like for their batteries to be installed. Of course, this predates the Sears merger. The Willowbrook Mall area former Kmart in Houston sold Penske and I think Exide batteries even though it didn't have auto service bays. It's not like car batteries can sit on the shelf for years waiting to be installed so I wonder if they really sell a lot of those car batteries.
This was one of the better stocked stores that I had been to in Louisiana. The Pineville/Alexandria area has seen very little growth over the past 30 years compared to nearby Baton Rouge and Lafayette so this store may have been struggling for a while. Even though the corner where this store was located is very busy, Alexandria is where most of the area retail is located.
DeleteIf the sign had been taken off of the wall and placed on some shelves, I would have probably gotten a better photo of the electronic department signage. Those signs are fairly large and would have been difficult to store without eventually damaging them.
The car battery displays usually only have one of each type of battery in stock. I wonder if you can still get someone to help you install the battery upon request. Usually it is an easy thing to take care of, but as you mentioned it can be difficult in some cars.
You and I must not have been too far apart visiting Pineville for the last time. We went in the 2nd week of July, and it looked just like this; not much left, but what was was pretty well picked over.
ReplyDeleteI'm still sad to see this one go. It used to do a really good business, and outlasted its Super Kmart counterpart in Alexandria across the river by 16 years!
We went towards the end of June on a weekday. There will only be 6 Kmart stores left in Louisiana after the most recent store closures are completed. 4 out of those 6 are in the New Orleans metro area, 1 is in Lake Charles, and the Gonzales location near Baton Rouge.
DeleteLake Charles and Lufkin are far away from any other Kmart location now so we will see if they last. It is sad to see these stores and Hastings as well disappear.
As a kid I remember a blue light special among other “events” at this location. It varied in upkeep over the years. Funny that it survived the opening (and subsequent closing) of a Super K Mart in Alexandria.
ReplyDeleteI think management gave up way too fast on the Super K Mart stores. If they had really focused on them, they would have given Walmart and Target a run for their money. I wonder why this store wound up closing, it seemed to be doing well on my previous visits.
DeleteIs that the former Super Kmart across from Logan's steakhouse in Alexandria. Do you also know what year the Super Kmart closed in Alexandria?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure when the Super Kmart closed, but the majority of them closed between 2001 and 2002 during the bankruptcy. That is when Kmart closed the Lafayette Super Kmart and pulled out of Houston.
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