Why Does Wichita Falls Still Have a Kmart Drive?
Wichita Falls, I think it's time to face the facts. Kmart isn't coming back and I think that street needs a name change.
Learn something new everyday, did you know that only FOUR Kmarts still exist in the country? I knew they didn't have a lot of locations, but I had no idea it was that low. The store made famous by their announcement over the intercom, "Attention Kmart shoppers...direct your attention to our blue light special."
Who didn't love a good deal? Many folks also have fond memories of the Kmart Cafe. I remember my Kmart had a Little Caesars Pizza Station inside of it. Cheap pizza and cheap discounted items. My penny pinching mother was an avid Kmart shopper back in the day. Sadly, it looks like Kmart is on its last legs.
Two are located in New Jersey, one in Long Island, and if you can believe it the final location is in Miami. According to an article in the Dallas Business Journal, the Wichita Falls location closed down around 2003? It also looks like Wichita Falls had another location off of Loop 11 that closed around 1994, according to the Associated Press. It looks like our neighbors to the north in Lawton had a Kmart until 2016, according to KFDX.
Sadly, I don't see a revival of Kmart happening like Toys R Us making a comeback recently. Who knows, we still have one Blockbuster in Oregon holding on for dear life. My question to us in Wichita Falls, should we keep the street name Kmart Drive off of Southwest Parkway for nostalgia sake or should we let Kmart die in Wichita Falls? Maybe do an update to the street name after all these years? Hell if we're going to honor a store, I would prefer we honor Hastings rather than Kmart.