Kmart, an unlikely Astor Place icon, is closing without notice

Astor Place Kmart, a longtime supplier of discount goods and, in its later years, the bizarre envelope of a former retail empire, has closed its doors for good.

The last working day was Sunday. Employees were given just 48 hours’ notice, according to a store manager, and shoppers were not alerted in advance. The shutdown was first reported by neighborhood blog EV Grieve.

On Monday morning, liquidators packed mannequins and clothes racks, while a security guard informed potential customers: “More Kmart.”

“It sucks!” lamented Joel Garcia, an MTA bus driver who frequented the Kmart between shifts. “I have been coming here for 10 years. Where will I find my shirts now? “

The two-story storefront was Manhattan’s last Kmart, after its Penn Station counterpart closed in early 2020 in a wave of closures. Fewer than two dozen Kmarts are still open nationwide, including two sites in the Bronx.

The two Manhattan storefronts landed in the borough in 1996, when the chain had more than 2,100 stores nationwide. The urban expansion, particularly the location of Astor Place, was aimed at helping the company discern the tastes of “Manhattan’s young avant-garde,” according to executives.

Although many New Yorkers hailed Kmart’s arrival as an unwelcome symbol of suburban encroachment, the 770 Broadway store eventually gained a reputation as an offbeat, albeit decidedly little hip, feature of downtown life.

“The number of times I did not find what I was looking for in this huge store” recalled writer Jaya Saxena, after learning of the store’s closure on Monday. “God protects you.”

“In one way or another both hellish mouth and reassuring presence”, added Anil Dash, a resident of East Village.

For years, the store has offered bargain prices and unexpected merchandise that sets it apart from standard department stores. Off-brand shoes, home appliances and medical supplies could mix in one rack, alongside a holiday display that was reliably three to four months ahead of schedule.

A toilet on the third floor, one of the few in the neighborhood accessible to the public, has been widely mourned after Vornado Realty Trust bought the level in 2018 to make way for Facebook, the building’s main tenant.

The chain has struggled in recent years, losing to more modern big box stores, as well as Amazon. In 2019, its parent company, Sears Holding Corp, filed for bankruptcy; since then, a subsequent owner, Transformco, has overseen the closure of almost all of the remaining stores. (Inquiries to Transformco were not returned; Vornado also did not respond to a request for comment.)

Prior to this weekend, the Astor Place location was one of the remaining 23 km across the country, according to department store expert Michael Lisicky.

“Despite its current open status, the location suffers from corporate woes and corporate misconduct,” Lisicky wrote of the Astor Place store in March. “After years of missed payments and unpaid invoices, Kmart’s relationship with many of its long-standing suppliers has evaporated. This has led to empty shelves and unusual selections of unbranded merchandise.”

Despite its fading status, the Kmart still had plenty of supporters. On Monday, shoppers who had made the pilgrimage from as far away as New Jersey and Forest Hills poked their noses in the window and turned away in disgust.

“I can’t believe this shit,” muttered Bonita, a retired Manhattan resident, who said she came to buy her husband a pair of jeans. “This is my favorite place to shop! “