Finally A k-mart Remodel

[Tayfromcarolina]

In todays N&O North Raleigh Section there is a article about the K-mart at Capital Blvd in front of Triangle Towne Center. It is Finally about to get a facade makeover and in addition has a couple of stores added on to it. The Plaza will be called "Triangle East" Finally some cohesiveness, that store is such an eyesore.

However the article mentions of a plan filed last week with the Raleigh City Council for a 225,000 store less than a mile away(exact location not mentioned though). Speculation is that it will be a Wal-Mart.

I'm really not feeling a Wal-Mart over there. Super Target is already established there and so is K-mart in my opinion this could be overkill.

http://www.northraleighnews.com/front/stor...p-9398021c.html

[citiboi27610]

I agree. I like that there isn't a Wal-Mart over there.

[Damien]

That store has needed a little fixing up for a while. I kinda wish they would update the one on Blue Ridge Rd. too. Actually I think it would be cool if they did a lifestyle center like North Hills at the Blue Ridge store. That intersection has a lot of potential, as well as the entire Blue Ridge Rd. corridor.

[DigitalSky]

wow. Kmart remodels are unheard of these days

[dmccall]

I think K Mart is completely missing the boat. One thing, across the board, that they need to change is the store lighting. Exposed 4ft fluorescent tubes are SO 70's. Here is what they ought to do:

* Change the lighting and ceiling to what they have at Bed Bath & Beyond.

* Rip up the white tile floors, and stain and polish the underlying concrete a terra cotta color - like Harris Teeter in North Hills.

* Focus on shabby chic home furnishings and clothing

* Drop the hunting equipment in sporting goods

* Feature and outstanding garden center that has Smith & Hawkin looking stuff for cheap prices

* Establish a buying club with a keyring barcode card, like the VIC card, but have rewards

* Feature lines of clothing, cooking, and decorating endorsed by familiar faces on Food TV, HGTV, and Discovery.

* Keep the stores SPIFFY clean

* Drop the name Kmart and go with something like "HomeTown"

* Change the colors to anything but aqua and red.

The point of the new concept would be an accessible, cheap, chic arm of Sears. Target has done a wonderful job of offering cool, cheap lamps, for instance, that you want to buy but know that they will be out of date in 7 years. The price is so low, however, that you don't mind blowing it on something that looks so cool. They also have great storage boxes, seasonal wares like picnic sets and table mats, and a very decent electronics section. To me this is where K Mart can fit in quite well.

If I need to buy a hammer or shovel, I'm not going to drive to a mall. KMart's locations are much more convenient. So I'd move all of the Craftsman line of tools over to the new HomeTown stores, coupled with that killer garden section I proposed above. Convert Sears into being the store where you get stuff you'll keep for 10+ years: appliances, mattresses, nicer clothes.

They also need some name conversion and dissociation. We just spent 1000's of dollars rebuilding our kitchen. I loved this 30" restaurant styled Kenmore range, but we feared that that name would not warrant the same emotional attachement to potential buyers in a few years like GE, Jenn-Aire, or other names. If they drop the old Kenmore and KMart names, they can possibly convert tired old lines into chic, trendy desirable lines.

The KMarts is on makes them simply WalMart's dirtier stepsister.

[RaleighLover]

Personally, I don't know why they don't just rip that K-Mart down and turn it into parking (I'm kidding...sorta).

As for a Wal-Mart...God I hope not. There's a Wal-Mart Supercenter right down the damn road in Wake Forest for goodness sake!

[DigitalSky]

I think K Mart is completely missing the boat. One thing, across the board, that they need to change is the store lighting. Exposed 4ft fluorescent tubes are SO 70's. Here is what they ought to do:

* Change the lighting and ceiling to what they have at Bed Bath & Beyond.

* Rip up the white tile floors, and stain and polish the underlying concrete a terra cotta color - like Harris Teeter in North Hills.

* Focus on shabby chic home furnishings and clothing

* Drop the hunting equipment in sporting goods

* Feature and outstanding garden center that has Smith & Hawkin looking stuff for cheap prices

* Establish a buying club with a keyring barcode card, like the VIC card, but have rewards

* Feature lines of clothing, cooking, and decorating endorsed by familiar faces on Food TV, HGTV, and Discovery.

* Keep the stores SPIFFY clean

* Drop the name Kmart and go with something like "HomeTown"

* Change the colors to anything but aqua and red.

The point of the new concept would be an accessible, cheap, chic arm of Sears. Target has done a wonderful job of offering cool, cheap lamps, for instance, that you want to buy but know that they will be out of date in 7 years. The price is so low, however, that you don't mind blowing it on something that looks so cool. They also have great storage boxes, seasonal wares like picnic sets and table mats, and a very decent electronics section. To me this is where K Mart can fit in quite well.

If I need to buy a hammer or shovel, I'm not going to drive to a mall. KMart's locations are much more convenient. So I'd move all of the Craftsman line of tools over to the new HomeTown stores, coupled with that killer garden section I proposed above. Convert Sears into being the store where you get stuff you'll keep for 10+ years: appliances, mattresses, nicer clothes.

They also need some name conversion and dissociation. We just spent 1000's of dollars rebuilding our kitchen. I loved this 30" restaurant styled Kenmore range, but we feared that that name would not warrant the same emotional attachement to potential buyers in a few years like GE, Jenn-Aire, or other names. If they drop the old Kenmore and KMart names, they can possibly convert tired old lines into chic, trendy desirable lines.

The KMarts is on makes them simply WalMart's dirtier stepsister.

Some good ideas there

[avery]

The point of the new concept would be an accessible, cheap, chic arm of Sears. Target has done a wonderful job of offering cool, cheap lamps, for instance, that you want to buy but know that they will be out of date in 7 years. The price is so low, however, that you don't mind blowing it on something that looks so cool. They also have great storage boxes, seasonal wares like picnic sets and table mats, and a very decent electronics section. To me this is where K Mart can fit in quite well.

If I need to buy a hammer or shovel, I'm not going to drive to a mall. KMart's locations are much more convenient. So I'd move all of the Craftsman line of tools over to the new HomeTown stores, coupled with that killer garden section I proposed above. Convert Sears into being the store where you get stuff you'll keep for 10+ years: appliances, mattresses, nicer clothes.

They also need some name conversion and dissociation. We just spent 1000's of dollars rebuilding our kitchen. I loved this 30" restaurant styled Kenmore range, but we feared that that name would not warrant the same emotional attachement to potential buyers in a few years like GE, Jenn-Aire, or other names. If they drop the old Kenmore and KMart names, they can possibly convert tired old lines into chic, trendy desirable lines.

The KMarts is on makes them simply WalMart's dirtier stepsister.

I agree that K-Mart has really missed the boat. I have somewhat of a nostalgic appreciation for K-Mart's as I remember going to them when I was a kid. It is unfortunate that they can't make the leap to compete with Wal-Mart and Targets. They do have some great brands out there with the Sears merger (Craftsman, Kenmore, etc.). There stores are dumps though. I go to the K-Mart on Western on occassion and it is bad. Last week, my wife and I stopped in there and it felt the the air conditioning did not work!

[RaleighLover]

* Feature lines of clothing, cooking, and decorating endorsed by familiar faces on Food TV, HGTV, and Discovery.

The Alton Brown Cookware Collection

[DurhamDivaInRaleigh]

I have been doing a lot of clothing shopping at Kmart lately...I've been getting a lot of compliments, too. People flip when they find the clothes come from Kmart. I like their "Joe Boxer" line, and their line of clothes called "Attention".

Another thing I can say they've improved on--having enough cashiers. And the cashiers generally stand at the very front of the aisle, so you know who's available to check you out.

Their stores do need to be spiffed up, though, and their garden section is RAGGEDY.

[Creasy336]

They should just convert it to Sears Grand. After visiting Sears Grand in Chicago (Gurnee Il.) They are way better than Wal-Mart and Target. TTC could be the site of another NC first. Here is a link on Sears Grand

[mallguy]

A new big-box store should fit in well in the area around TTC.

I like malls, generally. I do not like TTC. Another blah and generally mid-market mall like, but just with a Saks.

[dmccall]

They should just convert it to Sears Grand. After visiting Sears Grand in Chicago (Gurnee Il.) They are way better than Wal-Mart and Target. TTC could be the site of another NC first. Here is a link on Sears Grand

That's interesting!