February 6, 2017

Spotlight: Kmart - Neptune Beach, FL

500 Atlantic Blvd, Neptune Beach, FL 32266

Today we are taking a look at the Kmart store in Neptune Beach, FL. Unfortunately this store closed in the July 2016 round of closings. This store was 88,572 and opened on 11/17/1977. It underwent an expansion in the mid-90's and converted to a Big Kmart. The right side of the store was expanded out into an area that formerly housed smaller stores in the shopping center.

Arrows are pointing to the Big Kmart 90's expansion.
Before the Big Kmart conversion this store featured a restaurant in the back of the store, it was then converted to more selling space. Surprisingly after the restaurant closed, this Kmart never had a K Cafe up front. This store formerly featured an auto center with six auto bays. The garden center was remodeled for the Big Kmart conversion.

Old restaurant area in the back of the store.
Former auto center bays
This store formally had a one hour photo processing center at the front of the store to the left of the checkouts. That area was converted to a beer and wine section after Kmart phased out their photo labs. Overall this store is a pretty standard smaller format Kmart. Since the 90's Big Kmart remodel this store hasn't received anymore updates, including no new signage that a lot of other Florida stores received.

Former one hour photo lab area at the front of the store.
One interesting architectural feature about this store is the part of the store that was expanded into with the Big Kmart conversation has odd duct work with the ceiling. Look at the two pictures below and you can see it.

The odd ceiling duct work in the expanded part of the store.
More of the odd ceiling duct work.
Finally a cool bonus is we actually attended the grand re-opening of this store after it was expanded and remodeling into a Big Kmart. During the opening festivities they gave away Big Kmart hats to customers entering the store, we saved those hats and have a picture of them for everyone to see.

Big Kmart grand re-opening hats that were given away at this store in the 90's.
There you have it, hope you enjoyed the look into this now closed Kmart store. The rest of the pictures we took of this store are below. The pictures were taken in 2007, 2012, 2013, and 2016.

In 2007 the store was painted all grey.


In 2012 the store was now painted white and tan.




Vintage restroom sign

The old restaurant spot in the back of the store.









You can tell it used to stay Big Kmart, as part of the yellow swoosh is still on the right.

Door to the old auto center is open! Lets look inside!

Former auto center is used for storage now.



Former auto center.
2016 and the store is now closing.








The roll up gates are not for crime but for hurricanes as this store is only about a half a mile from the beach.


2 comments:

  1. It wasn't expanded FOR the Big Kmart conversion, it was expanded DURING the Big Kmart conversion. That was part of Floyd Hall's era, make all (or as many as they could) into Big Kmart's to bring back shoppers who'd left them for their competition. He was responsible for making Kmart into Big Kmart, which was their last major overhaul for the vast majority of their stores. If they could expand the physical footprint of the stores, then they did so. Otherwise, they tried to make use of what they had to convert them into Big Kmart's.

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