Longtime American retail pioneer Kmart has now come to the end of a long road. Kmart store, at the time in Bridgehampton New York closed on October 20th, 2024 making it the last full-sized Kmar… — Video containing The Last Full Sized KMart Ever!!! That closure brings the final nail in the coffin for a retailer that used to have thousands of stores across America — more than 2,300 at its peak.
The Decline of an Icon
Kmart had a pretty decent run back in the 20th century for their “Blue Light Specials.” It had most things from clothes to home goods and was really quite affordable. The store actually became a staple for many American families, and it really hit its peak during the ’80s and ’90s.
But everything changed when big-box competitors — Walmart, Target — came on the scene and e-commerce took off. For Kmart, the pressure was on. A number of financial headwinds, including two bankruptcies in 2002 and another in 2018 after it merged with Sears- saw it decline faster. Stores around the country began to close over the years, while the Bridgehampton location, rooted in a near and complete lack of competition within the hamlet, managed to hang on longer than most.
The Last Kmart Standing
The Bridgehampton store was one of the final holdouts of Kmart’s once vast empire. As of the closure, only one smaller Kmart store remains operational in Miami, Florida, alongside a few international locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. While these smaller stores continue to serve customers, they are far removed from the grand retail spaces that Kmart once occupied.
An employee in the Bridgehampton store said she was sad to see the closing, remembering many loyal customers who continued to patronize the store right up until its last days. “It’s the end of an era,” one shopper said, speaking for many who had grown up with the retailer.
Nostalgia and Retail Change
But to many individuals, Kmart was more than a store-it had turned into some sort of cultural touchstone. The recognizable layout and the thrill of the “Blue Light Special” made rows upon rows of products one of the necessary stops for shoppers. Many still recall trips consumers have made as children to Kmart stores, often finished off with a visit or ICEE treat from the machine.
Yet, the retail landscape has evolved. As online shopping and competition from discount retailers intensified, Kmart struggled to keep up. The closure of its last full-sized store signals the end of an era in brick-and-mortar retail, one that is increasingly dominated by faster, more convenient digital experiences.
Future of Retail
The Kmart failure is part of a bigger trend within the retail industry, as many other once-thriving chains have received similar fates: Toys “R” Us, and Sears being among them. It seems that the future of retail is online and in trimmed-down, high-efficiency stores, as consumer habits shift. To anyone else who remembers Kmart’s heyday, this will be the final closure that will poignantly remind them how quickly things can change.
Still, Kmart, though its last full-sized store has closed, will go on either through “Blue Light Specials” or a role in the psyches of its staunchest customers that American retail has played. Their story still keeps one of the major chapters in the history of the industry.
