Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

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Alpha8472
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by Alpha8472 »

It is possible that Kmart was forced to do these changes by the landlord. Sometimes if a tenant neglects the property, the landlord will demand that they clean up and make the building look respectable. Kmart is letting many of their stores fall into disrepair as the stores have very uncertain futures.

There was a Kmart near me that remodeled the entire store with the newest decor just months before they closed down. It was a last ditch effort to make it seem like the Kmart was going to stay open, but ultimately the corporate office closed it down suddenly. If the employees found out that the store was going to close, many of them would probably have left to find more stable jobs.

I will wait until January and see which stores will survive another year. This Christmas shopping season will be the last for quite a few Kmart stores.
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by Super S »

Alpha8472 wrote:It is possible that Kmart was forced to do these changes by the landlord. Sometimes if a tenant neglects the property, the landlord will demand that they clean up and make the building look respectable. Kmart is letting many of their stores fall into disrepair as the stores have very uncertain futures.

There was a Kmart near me that remodeled the entire store with the newest decor just months before they closed down. It was a last ditch effort to make it seem like the Kmart was going to stay open, but ultimately the corporate office closed it down suddenly. If the employees found out that the store was going to close, many of them would probably have left to find more stable jobs.

I will wait until January and see which stores will survive another year. This Christmas shopping season will be the last for quite a few Kmart stores.
Could be, but as I mentioned, the whole strip mall is looking pretty tired and neglected. In any case this is something that should not take 9 months to do.
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by babs »

Super S wrote:Back in March, I drove by the Beaverton Kmart and noticed that all the exterior signage had been removed from the building, with visible labelscars from when it used to be a darker brown color, and a plastic "Big Kmart" banner draped across the front. Here it is two months later and nothing at all, not even the paint, has changed. At first I speculated that the location could be getting an updated sign or paint job, but since then, there was another wave of store closures announced, so now I am wondering if they are just riding out a lease as cheaply as they can or something. The whole strip mall this Kmart is in looks to be in a state of neglect and is becoming a bit run down looking. Two months is an awful long time to not have signs on the building though. I have to wonder how many people are seeing this and thinking the location has closed. As far as I know this one is not on any closing list...at least not yet.

I get that Kmart is not doing particularly well, but all things considered, this just seems to be a bit odd.
That property is listed for lease an a "redevelopment opportunity". It's more than likely they are avoiding putting up a new sign since it might close in 2017. Why spend the money?
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by NW_InTheKnow »

Signs were removed so property owner (landlord) could repair the front of the building that had deteriorated (took a while for repairs to be done and was not the responsibility of Kmart). Banner was temporary. "K" has been reinstalled on storefront. Store is open. Go shop at Kmart in Beaverton Oregon for some great deals.
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by Super S »

NW_InTheKnow wrote:Signs were removed so property owner (landlord) could repair the front of the building that had deteriorated (took a while for repairs to be done and was not the responsibility of Kmart). Banner was temporary. "K" has been reinstalled on storefront. Store is open. Go shop at Kmart in Beaverton Oregon for some great deals.
Did they install a new sign with the current logo or reuse the old one? That could hint at the location's future.
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by Super S »

Drove by the Beaverton Kmart yesterday. They put up an old 90s logo sign which looked like it might have been taken off of a closing Kmart. I say it is a different sign because the "K" is larger than the one that was part of the previous Big K sign.

The fact that they put the old logo up does not give me much confidence that this location will be around much longer.
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by storewanderer »

How many Kmarts are left in Oregon after the last closure round was announced? Like 5?

Do any of the remaining stores look like they may be viable for, say, Wal Mart?

Around my area the remaining Kmarts I believe might be very valuable for Wal Mart:
South Lake Tahoe, CA - smaller store but in an area where you really can't build (nearest Wal Mart is 45 minutes away in Carson City, NV)
Grass Valley, CA - smaller store but again in an area where you really can't build (nearest Wal Marts are about 45 minutes away in Yuba City/Linda, CA or Rocklin, CA)
Bishop, CA - new build in 2002 and nearest Wal Mart is many hours away
Paradise, CA - older smaller store, Wal Mart is 20 minutes away in Chico, but has been trying to get a new store approved in Paradise for many years...

Then there is still some junk remaining...
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote:How many Kmarts are left in Oregon after the last closure round was announced? Like 5?

Do any of the remaining stores look like they may be viable for, say, Wal Mart?

Around my area the remaining Kmarts I believe might be very valuable for Wal Mart:
South Lake Tahoe, CA - smaller store but in an area where you really can't build (nearest Wal Mart is 45 minutes away in Carson City, NV)
Grass Valley, CA - smaller store but again in an area where you really can't build (nearest Wal Marts are about 45 minutes away in Yuba City/Linda, CA or Rocklin, CA)
Bishop, CA - new build in 2002 and nearest Wal Mart is many hours away
Paradise, CA - older smaller store, Wal Mart is 20 minutes away in Chico, but has been trying to get a new store approved in Paradise for many years...

Then there is still some junk remaining...
Yes, there will be five remaining in Oregon after Roseburg also closes. If Corvallis closes, there will be a huge area south of Portland with no Kmart presence.

I have never been to the Corvallis store so can't comment on it. Not sure how old it is.

The Dalles is an early 90s build and there is no Walmart presence there, however, there is a Fred Meyer. This location could be attractive to Walmart. Rumor has it they are looking to open a store in the area.

The Portland area stores are not in good shape.

NE Portland is an older store which is showing its age. It also shares space with a Sears Outlet in what I assume is a former grocery space. This would make a great spot for any big box store in general as it is a huge corner lot, however, NE Portland has lost one Fred Meyer, one Target, and several Safeway and Albertsons stores.

Gresham is a decent size lot and I think built around the same time as NE Portland. There is a Walmart close by at Wood Village, plus the neighborhood markets. Fred Meyer already has a store nearby. This one could end up redeveloped.

Beaverton we have already talked about. It appears to be slightly newer (late 70s or early 80s) With a major renovation it could be viable as it is on a corner lot, but the whole strip mall needs updating. Fred Meyer, Walmart, and Target already have a good presence. I am surprised this one is still open though.
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Re: Beaverton, Oregon: Very odd Kmart observation

Post by storewanderer »

Corvallis is a newer store and was built at a time in the past when Corvallis was a little different than it is today. I think it may be a better fit for Target than Wal Mart though.

I think Wal Mart had been trying to get into Corvallis but certain groups in the town kept fighting them, and they ultimately settled on a very odd sized/shaped existing building to put a Neighborhood Market which I doubt is doing very well. Might be an example of why sometimes the best thing to do is not going where you aren't wanted...
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