16 March 2017

50 Years Ago: Kmart opens in Wyoming


Cincinnati Enquirer, March 16, 1967
On March 16, 1967 Kmart opened its first two stores in the Cincinnati area. One was on Springfield Pike in Wyoming, and the other on Beechwood Avenue. The Wyoming Kmart was located at the northwest corner of Springfield Pike and Rolling Hills Drive - where the Wyoming Glen housing development is today.

Cincinnati Enquirer, March 16, 1967.
The store was advertised both as being a "Complete Department Store" and a "Complete Grocery Store." It also had a 4,000 square foot automotive service center.

Cincinnati Enquirer, March 16, 1967.
And it even included a cafeteria.

Cincinnati Enquirer, March 16, 1967.
I couldn't track down exactly when the Kmart closed, but in 1995 the City of Wyoming bought the site in order to better control its future development. Over the years a the variety of Planned Residential Development proposals considered included townhomes, assisted living housing, and commercial development along the Springfield Pike frontage, though later revisions shifted development to purely residential.

If you have any memories of the Wyoming Kmart, please share them - I'd love to hear about them!

3 comments:

  1. I wonder what KMart that photo is from. There is no caption. I miss KMart so much! Does anyone have photos of the Wyoming KMart? Funny how when you drive on Springfield Pike, one would have no idea that a KMart was there in the housing neighborhood. I wish KMart would be brought back. :-( I miss the icees and the popcorn, and the merry go rounds.

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  2. In a May 12, 1992 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer, there is an article about this closed KMart and how the city was negotiating with the landlord because it was a blight to the area. It says that they were in discussion for 8 years. So I assume it was closed in 1984 or so. I love the old KMart sign.

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  3. My father (Joe Fahrenholtz) was the meat department manager at the Springfield Pike Kmart Food store in the late 1960s. I remember many drives through Winton Woods when I was young with my mom to pick him up after work (we lived in Springfield Township). She would drop him off in the morning so she could use the car during the day. Thanks for the news clippings!

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