Health & Fitness
Light Will Help Celebrate New K-Mart Store in Putnam
A grand opening celebration featuring Matt Light will help open a new K-Mart store in Putnam located in the former Sears Essentials store.
If meeting 34-year-old Matt Light, left tackle from the New England Patriots, sounds like a dream come true, then head north and join him as the region celebrates a new place to shop.
Light will be on hand for fans this Saturday, from noon to 1:30 p.m. for the grand opening of the new K-Mart store in Putnam, according to the WILI 98.3 FM Facebook page.
The Willimantic radio station will have a live broadcast earlier in the day from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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The grand opening celebration will also include free refreshments, face painting, balloon animals, and kids’ activities.
Based on this blogger’s familiarity with the history of this region, the K-Mart store was formerly a Sears Essentials store which closed months ago. Prior to Sears Essentials, this building was originally a K-Mart. The store replaced an aging location at the Riverfront Commons Shopping Center near downtown Putnam.
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In 2004, K-Mart bought Sears making it the third largest retailer in the country.
After the signs were changed from K-Mart to Sears Essentials; several K-Mart departments were removed including groceries, books and magazines, most health and beauty aids, music and DVD’s, stationery, party goods, greeting cards, along with the garden center, auto center, pharmacy and the restaurant.
Their removal made way for larger departments creating a mini-Sears, even though a larger two-level Sears exists 20 miles away at the Auburn Mall.
It is expected that most of those departments will once again greet shoppers at the new K-Mart. This is the only K-Mart along Connecticut’s I-395 corridor and is next to Big Lots, which also has a solo location along the corridor.
According to Super K-Mart blog, there have been several Sears Essentials stores that were transformed into a K-Mart. The new store opening comes after the announced closing of 120 K-Mart and Sears stores throughout the country. No locations in Connecticut made the list.
K-Mart is at 44 Providence Pike (Route 44) in Putnam, in a shopping center that is also anchored by Stop and Shop. The store is located off I-395 exit 97.
