If you grew up in New Jersey, Kmart wasn't just a store. It was a weekend ritual. You’d walk through those automatic sliding doors, get hit with the smell of popcorn from the snack bar, and immediately look for the glow of the Blue Light Special.
It feels like a lifetime ago. Honestly, it kind of was.
As of early 2026, the reality of Kmart stores in New Jersey is pretty stark: they are gone. All of them. The era of the "Big K" in the Garden State officially ended on September 30, 2023, when the very last location in Westwood finally pulled the gate down for good. It was a slow-motion collapse that took decades, leaving behind empty plazas and a lot of nostalgic Gen Xers and Millennials wondering how a retail giant with over 2,300 stores nationwide just... evaporated.
The Final Stand in Westwood
For a long time, the Westwood Kmart at 700 Broadway was the "little engine that could." While other locations in Wayne, Trenton, and Wall were getting gutted and turned into Target stores or self-storage units, Westwood hung on. It became a bit of a local celebrity in the retail world. People from all over the Tri-state area would drive just to see one of the last three Kmarts left in the continental United States.
It was weirdly well-kept for a dying store. Most Kmarts in their final years looked like movie sets for a post-apocalyptic thriller—bare shelves, flickering fluorescent lights, and that one sad rack of "Route 66" jeans. But the Westwood staff kept it clean. They even used social media to show off new arrivals, trying to keep the dream alive until Transformco (the parent company) finally gave the order to liquidate.
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When that "Everything Must Go" sign went up in August 2023, it wasn't just a sale. It was the end of a 41-year run for that specific building, which had opened back in 1982.
Why the Garden State Lost Its Blue Light
You can't talk about Kmart stores in New Jersey without talking about the Avenel closure. That was the one that really signaled the end. Avenel closed in April 2022, and it was a gut punch to the Woodbridge area. Why did they fail here? New Jersey is one of the most densely populated, retail-heavy states in the country. If you can't sell stuff here, where can you?
- The Walmart Factor: Kmart spent years trying to be Walmart but without the supply chain efficiency.
- The Target Aesthetics: New Jersey shoppers started gravitating toward the "cheap chic" vibe of Target in the early 2000s.
- The Amazon Shift: Like everywhere else, the convenience of 2026-era drone delivery and same-day shipping made a trip to a dusty department store feel like a chore.
The business side of it is messy. After the 2004 merger with Sears, directed by hedge fund manager Eddie Lampert, many experts argue the stores were starved of investment. Instead of fixing the leaky roofs or updating the point-of-sale systems, the money went elsewhere. By the time 2018 hit and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the "K" was already a ghost of itself.
The Mapping of a Disappearance
If you look at the timeline of closures across New Jersey, it’s like watching a map go dark. In 2019 alone, we lost the stores in Somers Point, Moorestown, and Parsippany. Then 2021 took out Belleville and Kearny.
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Somers Point was particularly interesting because it was actually the last new Kmart ever built, opening in 2002. It didn't even make it twenty years.
There's a specific kind of "dead mall" enthusiast culture that tracks these things. They visit these sites to document the architecture—the distinct brown-and-orange tiles or the retro cafe signage. In New Jersey, these sites are being rapidly repurposed. The old Kmart in Wall? Now it’s a Target. The one in West Long Branch? Replaced. It’s the circle of retail life, sure, but it feels a bit colder without the "Ship My Pants" commercials and the mystery of what the next Blue Light Special might be.
What’s Left for the Super-Fans?
If you’re a die-hard and absolutely need that Kmart fix, you’re going to have to leave Jersey. As of today, the only mainland U.S. survivors are in Bridgehampton, New York, and Miami, Florida. And even those feel like they're on borrowed time.
Most people just shop at Kmart.com now, but let’s be real: it’s just a website. It doesn't have the smell of the ICEE machine or the sound of an associate calling for a price check in the garden center.
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Actionable Steps for the Nostalgic
Since you can't shop at Kmart stores in New Jersey anymore, here is how you can still engage with that history or find what you’re looking for:
1. Track the Redevelopment
Check your local zoning board meetings for the old Kmart sites in your town. Many of these 100,000-plus square foot spaces are being converted into "medtail" (medical offices in retail settings) or multi-use residential hubs. It’s a great way to see how Jersey’s landscape is shifting toward a post-big-box economy.
2. Hunt for "Dead Stock"
Liquidators often sell off Kmart's private labels like Martha Stewart Everyday (the vintage stuff) or Jaclyn Smith on eBay and Poshmark. If you miss the specific quality of those 90s linens, that’s where they live now.
3. Visit the "Last Ones" Digitally
Urban explorers have uploaded high-definition 4K walkthroughs of the Westwood and Avenel stores during their final days. It’s a weirdly soothing way to say goodbye without having to deal with the Route 17 traffic.
4. Check Out "The Hub"
The Westwood Plaza is currently in a transition phase. Keep an eye on local news for what anchor tenant will finally take over that massive 174,000-square-foot footprint. It’s a prime piece of Bergen County real estate that will likely define the area's shopping habits for the next decade.
The blue light might be unplugged, but for a generation of Jersey residents, those stores were a landmark of suburban life. They represented a time when shopping was a social event, not just a series of clicks. While the physical buildings are being painted over and rebranded, the memory of a $5 bluelight special on 100% cotton towels will probably stick around for a while.