Kmart draws shoppers with liquidation sale
VERONICA NUTTING/THE EXPRESS At top, the Carter family of Loganton enjoyed browsing the toy aisles at Kmart in Mill Hall. In the cart are Mya, left, and Jada. Behind them are Kalie, Justice and Dominic. The pharmacy at Kmart, seen above, has already closed, and a sign on the front door says clients’ prescriptions have been transferred.
VERONICA NUTTING/THE EXPRESS Jennifer Young of Lock Haven is among the loyal Kmart shoppers who will miss the Mill Hall store.
VERONICA NUTTING/THE EXPRESS At top, the Carter family of Loganton enjoyed browsing the toy aisles at Kmart in Mill Hall. In the cart are Mya, left, and Jada. Behind them are Kalie, Justice and Dominic. The pharmacy at Kmart, seen above, has already closed, and a sign on the front door says clients’ prescriptions have been transferred.
VERONICA NUTTING/THE EXPRESS Jennifer Young of Lock Haven is among the loyal Kmart shoppers who will miss the Mill Hall store.
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MILL HALL -- It's going to be hard to say good-bye.
When Kmart closes its doors in about a month, it will end a close relationship with this area that has lasted more than three decades.
Kmart, now owned by Sears, first opened here in the Clinton Plaza in Lock Haven, and its trademark Blue Light Specials brought many through the doors.
It moved to Millbrook Plaza 25 or 30 years ago. In 2003, it looked like it would close, but an aggressive local campaign convinced the company to stay on. Now, it will definitely close for good in mid June, according to Howard Riefs, director of corporate communications for Sears Holdings.
The lease will continue until June 30, but Riefs confirmed Monday that the store should be gone about two weeks before it expires.
The pharmacy at Kmart is already completely shuttered and dark. A sign on the front door states the prescriptions were transferred confidentially to CVS, which has built a new store in Lock Haven.
Kmart is now offering sales prices with no returns or coupons. It also is not participating in any sales advertised in circulars. But the promise of discounts has brought a brisk business to the store again, rivaling what it once had before Walmart built a store nearby.
The liquidation sale started March 30.
On Monday, discounts were advertised at 20 to 50 percent throughout the store. Clothing, shoes and toys were drawing a lot of interest. The clothing racks include some holiday attire, brought out for this special sales period. The toy shelves seemed full, but some of the shoe shelves were starting to look a bit bare.
Jennifer Young of Lock Haven was browsing through the summer shirts. She said she is upset that Kmart is leaving.
"It's my favorite store," she said. "It's a smaller store than Walmart. I like it… I'm hoping the one in Williamsport stays open."
Kathy Johnson of McElhattan also was hunting for bargains. She said she's more of a Walmart shopper but she hasn't been over to that store since Christmas. Now she's watching the prices at Kmart.
"I've been here about every other day," she said.
Taffy Lopes of Dunnstown stopped in quickly to see what was new and on sale. She and Kathy both said they have seen new things come out on the shelves.
There are bargains, said Cody Kreisher of Jersey Shore who was shopping in the garden and hardware sections. "It depends on what you're looking for," he said.
Brandie Confer said she usually shops in Kmart and found some good deals on kids merchandise.
"I'll miss the lay-away the most," she said. She made good use of that option every Christmas, she said.
Donnie Letterman of Mill Hall said home furnishings don't seem to have deep discounts right now, but he found bargains in the toy department. That's good, he said, since he has nine grandchildren, including a granddaughter born this past Saturday morning.
"It's sad," he said of the store's closing. "I grew up with Kmart. I grew up with Ames. All these stores are going out, and I know why -- you can't compete."
He was a manager at Walmart for nine years, he said. "I loved that store, I really did. I loved my customer base."
But competing with Walmart and with online shopping apparently has proved to be too much for smaller chain department stores in our area, he said.
"This will be wasted space when it closes," he said of the 95,800 square feet of anchor store space at Millbrook Plaza that Kmart plans to vacate.
Plaza owner Zamagias Properties has stated it is willing to carve up the space to suit a new tenant's needs.
The local store manager referred all questions to Sears Holdings Corp., which will not release the number of employees affected by the closing.
"Those associates that are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores. Most of the associates are part time/hourly," Riefs stated.
As for customers who are feeling a little bereft, Sears Holdings Corp. suggests they find another Kmart to visit or shop online at www.kmart.com.