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.

Spotlight: Kmart - Fort Pierce, FL

2111 S Federal Hwy Fort Pierce, FL 34950

Today we continue our streak of featuring Florida Kmart's submitted by our anonymous source. This one being located in Fort Pierce, FL. The difference with this location is it's an older and outdated store. It's 88,437 sq ft and opened on May 13, 1976, making it one of Kmart's older stores. This store is a former Grants department store location. This is one of the Kmart's that give the chain a bad name for being old, smelly, and cramped. At one time the store did have a large auto center, but it's now part of the toys department and backroom. There is no longer a pharmacy at this location, as it was removed about 10 years ago due to low sales volume. Mainly from a pharmacy being at the Winn-Dixie and CVS next door and also in the Publix close by. The store also had a Little Caesar's for a while. It was a franchisee leasing space within the store, not a Kmart run Little Caesars. Unfortunately Sears Holdings raised the rent and the franchisee left. The funny thing is he relocated in the shopping center a couple doors down from Kmart. It was cheaper to rent a space there in the center than being inside of Kmart. When it was inside Kmart, it had its own entrance from the outside of the store. That entrance is now boarded up and the area is used for layaway storage.

Former auto center, now a toys department.

Former Little Caesar's entrance.

This store is in a fairly busy shopping center with a Winn-Dixie grocery store on the other end. The store is located on a major highway with a large amount of low income households nearby, which fits the demographic for this store. There's no competition around, as in Walmarts or Targets. The closest Walmart is to the west. It's in a very busy section of town by Interstate 95, making traffic not worth going to it. Sales were really good at this store up until last year, having dropped about a million dollars less than the previous years. If sales don't increase this year, the store will more than likely be slated for closure. During Kmart's heyday, this was a corporate meeting store and district manager office for the central east coast of Florida, due to its location at the time. The store features a large conference room and store managers office.

Looking towards one end of the store.

You may have noticed in the first picture that the Big and yellow slash for the Big Kmart logo have been removed, with just the Kmart part of the logo remaining on the front of the building. There's a interesting story to that. Like a lot of Kmart locations, the paint was badly faded on the letters. At the time, the store manager sent an associate on the roof with a bucket of blue, red, and yellow paint to repaint it. After he repainted the logo, the results were awful. Just an FYI, you can't paint a hard plastic light up sign with just an off the shelf paint. The result was terrible chipping with chunks of paint falling off. The company decided to remove the Big and yellow swoosh part of the logo. They kept the Kmart part and resurfaced it. Because of removing only part of the logo, the Kmart part is not centered on the building and holes are still visible where the rest of the logo was. Now that's Kmart genius at its finest!

Looking towards the jewelry counter.

This store looks very rough on the inside and is a big departure from some of the nicer, remodeled Kmart we have featured on here recently. There's mismatched floor tile colors all over, mismatched looking ceiling tiles, old store areas boarded up, and just a general tired, depressing look. And there you have it, the Fort Pierce, FL Kmart. Enjoy the rest of the picture below and leave your comments on this store!

A very unappealing looking store.

Green tile? Was this left from when it was a Grant's?

Old electronics department sign, not many store still have this up/

Terribly mismatched floor tiles up an aisle.

Old wood boards on the wall.

90's garden center sign, from the Big Kmart era.

Former auto center, now toys department.

The ceiling of the old auto center.

Disgusting looking air vent.

Typical summer patio area.

The infamous coolers.

This store actually has a decent selection of dairy items.

Mismatched ceiling tiles.

What?! No long rows of florescent lights at this store?

You can definitely tell this wasn't a ground up Kmart because of the lights.

Green lines to go with the green tile.

Lock up case for air rifles.

The path to layaway and the restrooms.

Grey lines on top of green lines.

Possibly the former Little Caesars area.

Another shot of it from the side.

Baby department looking towards the clothing area.

Back wall of the baby area.

Mismatched Women/Men's fitting room signs.

Girls clothing looking towards front entrance.

Service desk with big focus on Western Union services.

Exit doors.

Left side of building.

Right side of building with old Little Caesars entrance.

Final shot of this Kmart store.