Once a retail giant, Kmart in Miami is now just a relic of the past

MIAMI, Florida: The last remaining Kmart on the U.S. mainland sits unassumingly in a suburban Miami shopping center, surrounded by popular stores like Marshalls, Hobby Lobby, and Dollar Tree that draw a steady stream of customers.

In contrast, the Kmart, once a retail giant known for its "Blue Light Specials," is now a quiet relic. Few visitors stop in, and those who do are often motivated by nostalgia rather than a shopping list.

One such visitor, Juan de la Madriz, an architect who stumbled upon the Kmart while shopping nearby, left with just a few small items. "It's sad if it closes," he said. "But everything's digital now." His sentiment echoes that of many who remember Kmart's heyday, but ultimately the once-bustling aisles now stand empty. The Miami Kmart is all that remains in the continental U.S., following the recent closure of the last full-size Kmart in Long Island, New York. Only four other Kmarts persist: three in the U.S. Virgin Islands and one in Guam.

The Miami store occupies only a fraction of its original space; much of the former Kmart area has been taken over by an At Home department store. Despite its diminished footprint, the store's shelves are well-organized, and the floors are spotless-a far cry from the cluttered reputation Kmarts once had.

Inside, there are signs of Kmart's past. A welcoming voice still greets visitors, and the store's once-ubiquitous slogan, "Attention Kmart shoppers," echoes over the loudspeaker, announcing sales to an almost empty store. Merchandise includes a small selection of appliances, toiletries, clothing, and toys, presented in a more orderly fashion than in past years.

Kmart's decline began decades ago, rooted in the decisions of top executives. Founded in 1962 by S.S. Kresge Co., Kmart quickly expanded to 2,000 stores in two decades, becoming the nation's second-largest retailer after Sears.

But by the late 1980s, Kmart's management, seeking to diversify, acquired other businesses that ultimately strained resources. As competitors Walmart and Target rose to dominance, Kmart's market share dwindled. Its slow embrace of e-commerce left it lagging further behind.

Mark Cohen, a former CEO of Sears Canada and former director of retail studies at Columbia University's graduate school of business, said Kmart would have thrived if not for the top executives who ran it into the ground. It could have been Walmart.

"It sold in its heyday things that people continue to buy in large quantities today," Cohen said. "Kmart went down the drain because it was led by incompetent managers."

The chain declared bankruptcy in 2002 and was acquired in 2005 by hedge fund manager Eddie Lampert, who merged it with Sears-a disastrous move that accelerated its decline. In 2019, Transformco purchased Kmart out of bankruptcy, but over the past five years, closures have continued, leaving Miami's Store #3074 as the last on the mainland.

Today, visitors to the Miami Kmart are mainly drawn by memories. College students Joey Fernandez and Wilfredo Huayhua stopped by to reminisce but left empty-handed, noting that the store seemed smaller than the Kmarts of their youth.

Teacher Oliver Sequin, prompted by nostalgia, purchased only a box of Band-Aids for his son.

"I remember when Kmarts were bigger," Sequin said. "But, to be honest, I like this one better. It is clean and organized, not like they were."

Despite the clean and orderly presentation, the reality is clear: memories alone won't sustain Kmart.