At the moment, there are a grand total of four (yes, four) Kmart stores left in America. Two are in New Jersey.

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And by next month, there will be three in the country with just one in the Garden State.

Officials have announced that Kmart in Avenel, Middlesex County will be closing within the next few weeks.

Kmart in Avenel NJ closing - Photo: Google Maps
Kmart in Avenel NJ closing - Photo: Google Maps
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The past several years have not been kind to Kmart (and Sears, its sister chain, too, for that matter). Their financial struggles have been building and building and a quick Google search about the subject will reveal hundreds of stories about the topic (The Detroit News has a good summary).

But here's all you need to know about the last few years for Kmart: they had 3,000 stores across the country not too long ago. And pretty soon they will have three.

In New Jersey, South Jersey specifically, 2017 was a dark time for Kmart. That was the year they announced dozens of stores would be closing across the country. 2015 had claimed the store in Millville-Vineland, but in 2017, we lost the Kmart stores in Rio Grande, Pleasantville, and Manahawkin. While those closed, Kmart in Somers Point survived until 2019, before it, too, turned the lights out.

Somers Point NJ Kmart - Photo: Chris Coleman
Somers Point NJ Kmart - Photo: Chris Coleman
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Now, in 2022, once Kmart in Avenel closes, three will remain standing. And one doesn't need a business degree from college to assume that those won't last too long, either.

Should you wish to catch one more blue light special, Kmart stores can be found in Westwood, Bergen County, NJ; there's one on Long Island, NY; and one in Miami, FL (for now).

Remembering the Somers Point, NJ, Kmart and others in our region

Back in the day, Kmart had several stores across South Jersey. Over time, many closed, but the one in Somers Point held on for as long as it could. Let's take a look back at the Kmarts that used to dot the landscape.

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