Kmart #9589

Another month means another look at another Kmart in the coverage area. This store was of the small town prototype 1 used by Kmart in the late '70s to serve smaller cities and towns. This particular prototype ranges from 39,000 sq.ft. to around 60,000 sq ft., with this store in Bath, NY coming in at 60,392 sq.ft.

Because of its age, a few relics can be found:

'Auto' previously occupied the white space to the left.

Interior:

Cosmetics & Jewelry up front next to the entrance.

Because this store has lower ceilings, (this is common in these smaller stores) the various promotional signage hangs lower than usual. If I really wanted to, I could of reached up and touched the signs pictured here.

Baby basics is setup differently by having the furniture run perpendicular to the rest of the main aisles for the dept.

Clothing Actionway

Plus sizes and big and tall departments can still be found even though it is a smaller store.

Electronics before:

Electro-applioncs after:

This store is among the few to still have a sporting goods desk. It is the only one I know to have the sign for licences hanging.

These baskets were set right next to the desk.

The shelf on the left is a wall for what was the auto center.

Outdoor portion of the garden shop in use.

This store did not get the re-vamped pantry.

Rating: 8 out of 10. Even though it is small, it is still easy to move around and had plenty of customer traffic. Mismatched tiles and a feeling of being surrounded by tall aisles (due to the cramped aisles) bumps the store score to 8.The store was average on Kmart cleanliness. A remodel would bump this store to a perfect 10.

In Danger of Closing?: Unlikely. As you can see from the last photo, this store appears to be doing well. With no other big-box discounter in town, it makes perfect sense. This store has nothing to worry about as a proposal to open a Walmart in Bath was rejected by court officials.

Footnotes:
1. The Super Kmart Blog Spot has a really nice article going into detail listing the rank of the smallest Kmart store to the larger stores in this prototype. Please note that this post is outdated and some  of these stores have closed. Also, many of these locations were not originally Kmart; they started life as Grants.

A Past McDonald's with a Playground

Before the eyebrow, McDonald's definitely tried to vary their classic arched roof design from location to location. Some just used different colors while others had a completely unique look. This location is classic location with a few oddities, one of which is a playground added on the side.

This location sits adjacent to a parking lot for a rather new Tractor Supply and Save a Lot. Those two businesses were previously a P&C market and an Eckerd location. Rite Aid did not take over this location.
Because this McDonald's location sits at edge of the property and the playground area protrudes from the building, the drive-thru is not your typical go-around-the-building drive-thru. Instead it loops and one must watch for pedestrians as they enter the only possible entrance to the building.

A path runs between the fences on the left to allow interior access for customers. Below is a night-time picture of that path between the fences:

Another classic feature is the arched 'M' on the lower panels of the exterior windows. As you can see, they are somewhat blocked by shrubbery at this location.

Going inside:

Note the VERY classic floor tiles here.

I do like the woodwork to give this location a personality.

A rather narrow hallway leading to the restrooms.

Splashes of paint on a brick wall.

Here's where I would like to express a theory of mine. Although I cannot confirm it, I feel that the drive-thru originally did go around this location. I feel the restaurant was expanded by adding the playground room and as a result, the drive-thru needed to be reworked. Here's a few reasons why I think this:

1. This window is odd.

Why would there be a window like this? This feels like a drive-thru window. Not mention the fact that a window is in place looking into another room.

2. Different Floor Tile

If the playground area wasn't an expansion, then why did they go through the trouble of using a different floor design?

3. Inside Out logo

This sign would typically be found on the exterior of a McDonald's building. (It is obviously on a brick wall which is would be a rather odd choice for an interior wall.) However, at this location it is inside the playground area room. So, it must of been outside at one time, but now it is inside!

A look at the ever more rare McPlayplace.

Retro garbage can.

Let's just hope this McDonald's stay unique for a while longer, instead of being 'eyebrowed' and making it like any other boring location.