Kmart building Bossier City December 2024 update

Here is my first and potentially final look at the Dirt Cheap business. After doing my long look at the Pierre Bossier Mall, I passed by the former Kmart site just down the street. The former Kmart has been split into 3-stores. Dirt Cheap, Dirt Cheap building supplies, and Ollie's. 

 Thankfully we get to peek inside of the former Kmart store that we last visited when that store was closing. The Dirt Cheap Building Materials is scheduled to close on December 15, 2024. 

The old floor, ceiling tiles, and A/C vents are still in place. 

Really not a whole lot left besides floors, toilets, boards, and some doors. There are a lot of random odds and ends type of things. 

More photos from around the store.

As you can see, the floor has been torn apart. A lot of the old Kmart tile still remains, but it is in really bad shape.

Still had the look of Kmart from end to end of the store.

Pretty sure this spill magic sign was left over from the Kmart days. It looks really faded.

With the help of the AI magic on my latest phone, I made the people in these images disappear. 

They use the old Kmart customer service desk for the checkouts. 

Just like the last time we were here when the Kmart was closing.

For the clothing side, we missed out. Here are a couple of shots on the inside from the glass doors.

Here is the Ollie's side of the former Kmart. It is pretty cool that they incorporated the former Garden Shop into their store. 

On my first December trip, we did not go in the store. Since we had some time, I had to get a quick trip in to take a look.

The garden center wall to the store was removed leaving this as a wide-open space now.

As we progress through the store, we began to notice that this is the messiest Ollie's location by far that we have seen.

Lots of stuff just thrown around and stacked in shopping carts.

Even the center aisle displays were all over the place.

The clothing department really needs to be straightened up.

The A/C vents look very different without the ceiling tiles.

The stockroom door was propped open. This was the former auto center of Kmart.

The back area of the store with carpets, bedding, and other stuff just thrown around. 

Ceiling tiles falling down.

That is all from the former Kmart. As you can see, this is a very small Ollie's location and a pretty messy one as well.

Now as an added bonus. Here is an update to the former Circuit City and Linens and Things on Youree Drive that we documented years ago (click here for that post). 

As you can see the replacement Conn's also met the same fate as the previous tenants. The parking lot lights at the shopping center 

were only dark in front of Conn's. With the signage still on, it made for a great photo.

More to come on the Shreveport/Bossier City series including a part 2 of Pierre Bossier Mall and a revisit to the former Southpark Mall.

Lake Charles retail updates March and April 2021

On my way to and from the Mall of Louisiana, I had a chance to stop by a few of the places we have documented over the years to see how things had changed after the brutal 2020 hurricane season. Several months after the hurricanes had passed through the area, lots of damage remains. My heart goes out to the people of Lake Charles who have dealt with 2 hurricanes, 1 major freeze, and a May flood event that dumped more rain than the hurricanes of 2020. Hurricane Laura was the event that got all of the press, but the other 3 weather events added onto an already devastated region. Things are slowly getting back to normal, but so much work needs to be done to help this region get back to normal.  

Here is the former Kmart that we extensively covered on the blog all the way up until the closing in September 2018. The building sustained major damage and has an unsure future. The rest of the shopping center is back up and running with empty spaces being renovated. 

March 2021

The next photos are what you can see of the interior since the building is wide open.

You can see the old electronics department all the way in the back.

The vents still remain but the structure is heavily damaged.

Even more damage on this side of the building, walls broken down.

This was the former seasonal and toy department.

The garden shop also sustained heavy damage.

Now we head down the street to see where the former Rite Aid was located. Dollar Tree has taken over the spot and the shopping center is doing very well. A gym has taken over the former Kroger and renovated the building as well. 

The exterior of the shopping center still had some panels missing, but the signs to the businesses were fixed up.

Downtown Lake Charles. The Capital One tower, which sustained major damage is under renovation.

April 2021 night pass by at the former Kmart.

You can get a better feel for the damage to the structure from this photo. Broken concrete, damage to the pillar, and the walls broken through.

A better view of the garden shop damage.

A better view of the side of the store which held the seasonal and toy departments. The street behind the store is sealed off by fencing so we couldn't go back there.