January 1, Last Mainland Store Closes of Iconic Retail Chain

The last full-size Kmart store in the continental United States is set to close in October, signaling the end of an era for the once-iconic American department store chain. Once a staple in American retail with around 2,300 locations in the early 1990s, Kmart’s full-size store in Bridgehampton, New York, will be shutting its doors on Oct. 20, according to a report from Newsday citing an employee.

This closure leaves only a downsized Kmart location in Miami as the last standing remnant of what used to be a retail giant. Kmart, now under the ownership of Transformco, also has a limited presence with three stores in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Despite repeated requests for comment, Transformco remained silent, reflecting a trend of corporate disengagement that has left many loyal customers disillusioned. A spokesperson from Kimco Realty Corp., the owner of the shopping centers housing the soon-to-close New York and Florida Kmarts, confirmed the Bridgehampton store’s imminent closure.

Bridgehampton’s Kmart has served its community for 25 years, providing jobs and an affordable shopping option to countless families. Transformco’s website notes that the first Kmart opened back in 1962 in Garden City, Michigan. The chain’s history includes bankruptcies in 2002 and again after merging with Sears, creating a pattern of instability that has finally led to its near-collapse today.

The lone surviving Kmart on the mainland, located at Kendale Lakes Plaza in Miami, has experienced its own downsizing. Most of its former space has been leased out to the home goods store At Home, relegating Kmart to what once was its garden department.

A leasing representative from Kimco Realty Corp. mentioned that Kmart holds a “long-term lease” at the Kendale Lakes location, but this seems to be little more than a temporary reprieve in the grand scheme of Kmart’s dramatic decline.

This is a stark reminder of how corporate mismanagement and the rapidly changing retail landscape can bring down even the most established names in American business. For the communities that these stores once served, the closures represent not just the loss of a store, but the end of a piece of American heritage.

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