Battle Creek Kmart Being Demolished…What Should Take Its Place?
You won't find a blue light special in Battle Creek anymore. As we watch the ushering out of an era, what would you like to see take Kmart's place?
This Kmart location was first built in 1968 at 200 Capital Avenue S.W. It closed in 2018 after the parent company, Sears Holdings, filed for bankruptcy. The Marshall Kmart is the last in the entire state of Michigan.
The sight was purchased by Battle Creek Unlimited in 2020. A $1.6 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation made it possible. The demolition is part of Battle Creek Unlimited's “blight reduction plan” to get rid of or renovate buildings.
At this time there are no plans for anything to take the place of the former home of the 'Blue Light Special'.
If you ever wondered what the inside of the abandoned Battle Creek Kmart looks like, then wonder no more. An urban explorer has done the work for us. Manny Quacioua has a YouTube channel dedicated to dead malls and blue light specials. You can check out the video by clicking here.
Whenever anything closes we can't help but wonder what could go in its place. Many in Battle Creek would love to see something useful for the community take its place. A park? Chik-fil-A has been something many mentioned when Ruby Tuesday was demolished late last year. Other's say they'd like to see something more local take its place. At this point, all we can do is wait and see.