Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Moderator: Groceteria

Post Reply
Ephrata1966
Veteran
Posts: 550
Joined: 29 Nov 2008 13:45

Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Post by Ephrata1966 »

There is a Kmart at 301 Tilghman Rd in Salisbury, Maryland unlike any other I have seen. Clearly it is an older than average Kmart, and as we all know most of their stores have a long history. Does this look like a pretty early one? Kmart did not reach Philly until around 1974. But I was at a boat shop in northern Delaware a few years ago and saw a Kmart torch with a date of 1962! Could that have been from here? I seem to recall an older Save-A-Lot in the same plaza. Seems that has just closed. This store was most likely once an A&P, Acme, perhaps Safeway or even Kroger.

Or maybe the Kmart was an ex-Mammoth Mart, W.T. Grant, Woolco, or J.M. Fields?
Last edited by Ephrata1966 on 30 Oct 2010 18:00, edited 1 time in total.
rich
Veteran
Posts: 673
Joined: 15 Nov 2005 20:51
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Post by rich »

Most likely this store was opened well after '62 or was an acquisition. K-Mart didn't build small market stores until the 70s. Any store they built up until the late 70s would have had a super market--early on (in to the early 70s), it would have been a chain that signed-on to operate "K-Mart Foods" under stipulations made by K-Mart. Later it would have been a chain that agreed to co-locate on a regular basis in a particular area. A&P did co-locations in many markets. Kroger was never that far East.
wnetmacman
Veteran
Posts: 378
Joined: 06 Nov 2005 23:48

Re: Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Post by wnetmacman »

This is a standard, mid to late 70's issue Kmart with a slight variation on the facade. Lafayette, LA had a similar store.
Scott Greer
Ephrata1966
Veteran
Posts: 550
Joined: 29 Nov 2008 13:45

Re: Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Post by Ephrata1966 »

Can anyone tell what the grocery anchor was? And did Kmart (not Kresge) have any stores remotely close to Delaware in 1962? Or did Kresge actually sell Kmart brand products?

Also notice the very old-looking parking lot lights.
rich
Veteran
Posts: 673
Joined: 15 Nov 2005 20:51
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Post by rich »

Merchandise sold at Kresge, K-Mart, & Jupiter carried common price tags and labeling, but not in the early days of K-Mart. They did not develop a small market prototype until the 1970s and that originated close to their Detroit base in NW Ohio. The earliest stores were in metropolitan areas and large market towns. Salisbury would not have been on their radar screen.
wnetmacman
Veteran
Posts: 378
Joined: 06 Nov 2005 23:48

Re: Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Post by wnetmacman »

Ephrata1966 wrote:Can anyone tell what the grocery anchor was? And did Kmart (not Kresge) have any stores remotely close to Delaware in 1962? Or did Kresge actually sell Kmart brand products?

Also notice the very old-looking parking lot lights.
The grocery anchor is not very visible in any of the Google Maps street photos. It's hard to tell. By this point, Kmart was no longer supporting the Kmart Foods concept, so it could be any national or regional operator. In a couple of places in Louisiana it was Delchamps; I've seen Kroger in some areas and Safeway in others.

Those parking lot lights are also part of the standard Kmart of the 70's. They were just never updated.
Scott Greer
Ephrata1966
Veteran
Posts: 550
Joined: 29 Nov 2008 13:45

Re: Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Post by Ephrata1966 »

wnetmacman wrote:
Those parking lot lights are also part of the standard Kmart of the 70's. They were just never updated.
Very interesting. But are you sure? When should they have been updated?

Many Woolco, Grant City, and Nichols Discount City stores built during the 60's had parking lot lights like this: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ei2Ik5quiI0/S ... opping.jpg

Kmart used the same basic design in stores they built. But theirs often had three or four (later design?) bulbs. The 1974 Kmart (now Home Depot, just like the Woolco) in Broomall, PA had four bulbs in front of the store, and three to the side.

However, the Clifton Heights, PA Kmart most likely was built sometime between late 1974 and 1977. What is odd is that their fixtures only have two. This store was of course an original Kmart.

These light fixtures can be very loud and shake. Perhaps they all should be put out to pasture? I really wonder what company made these. They all look cheap but timeless.
catnapped
Contributor
Posts: 43
Joined: 21 Nov 2008 00:08

Re: Possible Original 1962 Kmart

Post by catnapped »

Ephrata1966 wrote:And did Kmart (not Kresge) have any stores remotely close to Delaware in 1962?
The now-existing Kmarts in northern Delaware (save for the Claymont store) are from the past 20 years. The stores in Newark and northern Wilmington were former Bradlees, Claymont was a former Grant City, and I think the Bear store was built in the 80s or 90s as a Kmart. Not sure about the rest of the state, but the Dover store looks like it was probably from the 70s sometime.
Post Reply