Vernon Ocean State Job Lot Could Open In Early Fall

VERNON, CT — Work has been quietly and safely taking place to convert the former Vernon KMart into a new Ocean State Job lot and a September opening is being targeted.

That was the word Thursday from Paul Cox, the director of store operations for Ocean State Job Lot.

The building is located in a shopping plaza off Route 30 at 295 Hartford Turnpike. Ocean State Job Lot will occupy a 40,000 square feet — that's about half the space of the old KMart.

Cox said earlier this spring that the new store will create as many as 50 full-time and part-time jobs.

The old KMart marquee was taken down last week and a smattering of reminders of its former identity was still visible on the left side of the building. The area was fenced off this week, an indication that work would be intensifying.

In late March, officials for Ocean State Job confirmed a lease agreement to open its newest store in the vacant KMart building. It will become the 28th outlet in Connecticut for the Rhode Island-based discount retailer.

"We look forward to joining the local Vernon community and bringing new life to this vacant building and jobs to the area," Cox said at the time.

Ocean State Job Lot officials said a long-term lease has been signed with property owner CE Vernon II, LLC, based in Fairfield.

"This location makes sense for us. Its large footprint provides an enhanced in-store customer experience and will allow us to offer our customers a fantastic overall shopping experience," Cox said.

Cox said Ocean State Job Lot offers discounts by virtue of "opportunistic buying." Stores feature household goods, apparel, pet supplies, seasonal products like holiday items, gardening supplies, patio accessories and pool and beach supplies, kitchen and pantry "staples" and gourmet and international specialty foods.

Ocean State Job Lot was founded in 1977 and currently has 139 stores in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania with about 5,600 employees. It boasts annual sales of approximately $725 million.

The KMart store in Vernon closed in March 2019 amid financial woes experienced by its corporate parent, Sears Holdings. Town Fair Tire, the Ann & Hope curtain and bath outlet and a Salvation Army store currently anchor the plaza. The popular Ninety-Nine restaurant sits adjacent to Route 30 in a free-standing building.

A space once occupied by two different Chinese buffets is also vacant in the plaza. Another ghost of Sears past, a former hardware outlet, sits vacant across the driveway near the Vernon Stop & Shop.