Kmart Garden City: US Closure, AU Locations & History
If you’ve been searching for “Kmart Garden City,” you’re probably running into a confusing split screen. Half the results point to a Michigan store that closed eight years ago, the other half to thriving Australian locations that still open their doors daily. That’s because the original Kmart—the one that sparked a global chain—shut down in Garden City, Michigan in 2017, while an entirely separate Australian business operates under the same name today. This piece untangles the history, the closures, and where you can actually find an open Kmart near a “Garden City” today.
First Kmart Store Opened: 1962 in Garden City, Michigan ·
US Kmart Closures: Nearly all stores closed by 2024 ·
Garden City MI Store Status: Closed ·
Australian Kmart Operations: Ongoing via kmart.com.au ·
Parent Company History: Founded by S. S. Kresge
Quick snapshot
- The exact calendar date within March 2017 when Garden City MI finally locked its doors
- Whether any US territory Kmarts will reopen or expand operations
- Whether Australian Kmart has any plans for a Garden City–branded location
- Australian Kmart continues expanding store hours and online offerings (Kmart Australia official site)
- US Kmart reduced to a handful of territory outposts as of 2025 (Wikipedia)
- Perth-area stores operate daily with weekday hours to 9:00 PM (Kmart Australia official site)
The table below consolidates the core facts about the Garden City Kmart to anchor the comparison between the closed US location and the active Australian operations.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| First Store Location | Garden City, Michigan (1962) |
| Garden City MI Address | 29600 Ford Rd, Garden City, MI 48135 |
| Status in Michigan | All closed |
| Australian Site | kmart.com.au |
| Founder | S. S. Kresge |
When did Kmart close in Garden City, Michigan?
The Garden City, Michigan Kmart wasn’t just another location—it was the original. When the first store opened at 29600 Ford Road in 1962, few could have predicted it would one day anchor an international chain. The store ran for 55 years before Kmart corporate announced it among ten Michigan locations marked for closure.
Store history in Garden City MI
WXYZ reported that the Garden City store carried the designation store #4000, making it the symbolic birthplace of the Kmart concept before S. S. Kresge’s company scaled nationwide. Shoppers noticed the writing on the wall well before the official announcement—one local, Jack Ketter, told a WXYZ reporter that “it’s been obvious for quite some time it’s going out of business.”
Closure timeline
According to WXYZ, the liquidation sale at Garden City kicked off on a Friday, with permanent closure targeted by the end of March 2017. Wikipedia adds that the building itself was demolished in 2020, erasing the physical footprint of the original store. The chain’s retreat from Michigan accelerated after this: the final Michigan Kmart, located in Marshall, shuttered on November 21, 2021, ending a 59-year presence in the state.
Is Kmart still around in Michigan?
No. Every Kmart in Michigan has closed, and the Garden City location—once the chain’s symbolic birthplace—sits as an empty lot today. The state that hosted the first-ever Kmart now has zero open locations.
Last Michigan stores
Wikipedia documents that the Marshall, Michigan Kmart was the last to close in the state on November 21, 2021. That closure came after years of gradual shutdowns following Kmart’s 2002 bankruptcy filing. By the time the Marshall store locked up, Garden City had already been gone for four years, its building reduced to rubble in 2020.
Current status
The US Kmart footprint has shrunk to a sliver. Wikipedia notes that the last full-sized big-box Kmart on the mainland United States closed in 2024. As of mid-2025, the chain operates only in US territories—a fraction of its former footprint. Searching for “Kmart Garden City Michigan” today yields closure announcements, Yelp reviews from former patrons, and a Wikipedia entry, but no open doors.
The Bridgehampton, New York Kmart closed on October 20, 2024, and the Sunny Isle, St. Croix location shut early on July 5, 2025—months ahead of its announced August 2025 closure date, suggesting the pace of US contraction may be accelerating.
Why did Kmart go out of business?
Kmart’s decline wasn’t a single event—it was a cascading failure of competition, capital, and corporate strategy. Understanding the forces that shuttered the Garden City store helps explain why an entire American retail institution faded while an Australian offshoot thrived.
Key factors in decline
The Garden City store’s history illustrates the chain’s trajectory. When it opened in 1962, discount retail was a novel concept. By the 1990s, competitors like Walmart and Target had perfected the model at scale, while Kmart struggled with aging stores, inconsistent inventory, and a reputation for stale merchandise. A WXYZ report documented that US Kmart closures exceeded 100 locations, including the Garden City store, as the chain failed to stem customer flight to nimbler competitors.
Bankruptcy and sales
Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002, emerging but never fully recovering. Wikipedia records that after the bankruptcy, the chain closed hundreds of stores annually. The sale to Essel Group in 2018 reduced US operations to near-minimal levels. Meanwhile, the Australian business—licensed separately—invested in store upgrades, expanded hours, and e-commerce, building a customer base that American Kmart never stabilized.
Kmart’s US failure teaches a blunt lesson: a brand name alone doesn’t sustain retail. Garden City ran for 55 years, but the chain’s inability to match Walmart’s logistics or Target’s design sensibility turned an iconic name into a ghost. The Australian operation succeeded partly because it operated as a distinct business from the start, unencumbered by American debt and store leases.
What are Kmart Garden City opening times?
If you’re looking for Kmart Garden City hours, you need to know which country you’re asking about. The Michigan store is closed. The Australian Kmart stores are open—and their hours vary by day, location, and state regulations.
Australian locations like Perth
Kmart Australia’s official store page lists the Perth CBD location at 712 Hay Street Mall, Perth WA 6000 with these hours: Monday–Thursday 8:00 AM–7:00 PM, Friday 8:00 AM–9:00 PM, Saturday 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, Sunday 11:00 AM–5:00 PM. The Westfield Booragoon store in the Perth area shows Sunday hours of 11:00 AM–5:00 PM and weekdays extending to 9:00 PM.
US historical hours
Former Garden City shoppers recalled the Michigan store operating roughly 9:00 AM–10:00 PM based on YouTube footage from the liquidation period. Those hours were standard for big-box Kmarts in the 2010s, but they couldn’t offset the chain’s broader decline. Today, no US Kmart operates at those hours—the nearest open locations are in US territories, with limited public scheduling data.
Australian Kmart hours vary by state and store type. Regional Victoria Kmarts close at 7:00 PM on weeknights, while Melbourne CBD stays open until 10:00 PM. South Australian stores often shut at 5:00 PM on Sundays due to local trading laws. Always check kmart.com.au/store-locator for exact local hours before visiting.
Where is Kmart Garden City today?
The answer depends entirely on geography. There is no “Garden City” Kmart in the United States—the original location closed and was demolished. In Australia, Kmart operates stores nationwide, though none carry a “Garden City” designation.
US vs Australia
Wikipedia documents that Kmart closed its last mainland US big-box store in 2024. The Bridgehampton, New York closure on October 20, 2024, marked one of the final mainland exits. As of July 2025, the Sunny Isle, St. Croix location is also gone. The remaining US footprint consists of a handful of territory stores—Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and a few other Pacific outposts.
Australian Kmart, meanwhile, operates independently via kmart.com.au. The business runs stores in shopping centres across the country, with Perth locations like the CBD store on Hay Street Mall and Booragoon in Westfield drawing regular foot traffic. Kmart Centre notes that individual stores operate within centre hours, which can extend to 10:00 PM in larger malls.
Online options
Australian Kmart offers online shopping through kmart.com.au, with delivery across the country. US Kmart’s online presence at kmart.com is largely dormant, redirecting visitors to minimal content. For anyone searching “Kmart Garden City” online, the practical option is kmart.com.au—which ships nationwide and lists current store hours for each location.
Timeline
The timeline below traces the arc from the original Kmart opening to the chain’s current fragmented state, with key milestones marking both US decline and Australian expansion.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1962 | First Kmart store opens in Garden City, Michigan |
| 2017 | Garden City Kmart closes after 55 years; liquidation sale begins |
| 2020 | Garden City store building demolished |
| November 21, 2021 | Last Kmart in Michigan closes in Marshall |
| 2024 | Last mainland US big-box Kmart closes |
| October 20, 2024 | Bridgehampton, New York Kmart closes |
| July 5, 2025 | Sunny Isle, St. Croix Kmart closes early |
Clarity on Kmart Garden City
This grid separates what is confirmed from what remains uncertain, helping readers navigate the split-screen reality of US closures versus Australian operations.
Confirmed facts
- US stores have closed, including Garden City MI
- First store opened 1962 in Garden City, Michigan
- Australian Kmart operations are ongoing
- Garden City MI store closed 2017 after 55 years
- Michigan’s last Kmart closed November 21, 2021
- Australian stores open via kmart.com.au
What’s unclear
- Exact closure date within March 2017 for Garden City MI
- Whether future US reopenings are planned
- Whether Australian Kmart has a Garden City–branded store planned
What people said
Eyewitness accounts from the closure period capture the mood as the original Kmart’s doors prepared to close for the final time.
“It’s been obvious for quite some time it’s going out of business.”
— Jack Ketter, shopper at Garden City Kmart during liquidation (WXYZ YouTube video)
“The doors opened in 1962 and, 55 years later, the doors will permanently close.”
— WXYZ reporter on Garden City Kmart closure (WXYZ news report)
Summary
The search for “Kmart Garden City” lands in two parallel realities. In Michigan, the original Kmart location at 29600 Ford Rd is gone—closed in 2017 after 55 years, demolished in 2020—and the entire state’s Kmart presence ended in 2021. For American shoppers, Kmart is effectively gone, reduced to a handful of territory outposts as the chain continues contracting in 2025. In Australia, Kmart operates hundreds of stores with daily hours, online shopping, and active expansion. The Perth CBD location opens at 8:00 AM most days and runs until 9:00 PM on Fridays. For anyone wondering where to find an open Kmart near a Garden City, the practical answer lies 9,000 miles away on kmart.com.au—not in Michigan.
Related reading: Kmart Bath Mat – Australia’s Limited Options Analyzed
Unlike the shuttered Michigan location since 1962, Kmart thrives in Australian retail hubs like Garden City Shopping Centre in Brisbane’s southside.
Frequently asked questions
What does the K in Kmart stand for?
Kmart derives from S. S. Kresge, the company’s founder. The “K” comes from his last name, and “mart” was appended to signal the discount retail format. The chain grew from the S. S. Kresge five-and-dime model into the first major discount department store brand in the United States.
Is Target owned by Kmart now?
No. Target and Kmart are separate companies. Kmart once held a stake in Target in the 1990s but divested. Target operates independently as a subsidiary of the Dayton Foundation, with no ownership ties to Kmart or its successor entities. The two chains compete directly in discount retail.
Does Kmart own TK Maxx?
No. TK Maxx is owned by TJX Companies, a separate American retailer. While both companies operate in the discount and off-price retail space, there is no ownership relationship. Kmart’s decline and TJX’s growth represent two divergent paths in American retail, with TK Maxx thriving while Kmart contracted.
What caused the downfall of Kmart?
Kmart’s downfall resulted from a combination of competitive pressure from Walmart and Target, outdated store formats, inventory management failures, and heavy debt accumulated before and during its 2002 bankruptcy filing. The chain never fully recovered its market position, leading to hundreds of store closures and a skeletal US presence today.
Are Kmart stores still a thing?
Yes—but only in certain markets. Australian Kmart operates hundreds of stores with active e-commerce. In the United States, Kmart has been reduced to a handful of locations in US territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands). Mainland US big-box Kmarts are effectively gone, with the Bridgehampton, New York closure in October 2024 marking a recent exit.
What is the Kmart Garden City phone number?
There is no operational Kmart Garden City in Michigan. Former Michigan Kmart locations had individual store numbers, but none are active. For Australian Kmart, the Booragoon store can be reached at (08) 6310 5100, according to Westfield. For general Australian inquiries, kmart.com.au offers a store locator and customer service contact options.
Does Kmart Garden City offer online shopping?
No—not in Michigan. The Garden City, Michigan location closed in 2017 and no longer offers any services. Australian Kmart, operating separately, offers full online shopping through kmart.com.au with delivery Australia-wide. The US online platform at kmart.com is largely dormant for mainland customers.
Is there a Kmart Garden City map?
No open Kmart exists at Garden City, Michigan. The original address at 29600 Ford Rd, Garden City, MI 48135 is now a vacant site. For Australian Kmart locations, kmart.com.au provides an interactive store locator with maps, directions, and hours for all open locations, including Perth-area stores.
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