The last full-sized Kmart in the country is shutting its doors this month, which will make the Kendall location officially the last Kmart store in existence.
Yes, you heard that right! Many might not know, but Miami has one of the two remaining Kmart locations in the mainland United States. At least until the end of the month. The other one, considered to be the only remaining full-sized store, is in Bridgehampton, New York and is set to close on October 20th.
For years, Kmart was the store of choice for American shoppers as the retail giant sold just about anything you could ever need. At one point in time, the company had around 2,500 locations before it began to falter in the early 2000s. It wound up exiting bankruptcy in 2003 and shuttering several stores, but would once again file for bankruptcy in 2018 before being sold to Transformco.
While many Kmart locations have dwindled throughout the years — with the exception of a couple of stores in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands — the Miami location at Kendale Lakes Plaza isn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.
As you might have guessed, things aren’t exactly the same as you remember. The days of Blue Light Specials are long gone and the store has downsized, becoming roughly the size of a neighborhood CVS, according to the Miami Herald. It currently sits in the garden space of the original store, which had been leased out to an At Home, a home goods store.
A leasing representative at Kimco Reality told the newspaper that Kmart has a “long-term lease” on the location in Kendale Lakes. You can visit it at 14091 SW 88th St suite 200, Miami, FL 33186.