The familiar blue light special flickers in the memories of many Twin Ports residents. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first Kmart to open in Duluth on May 7, 1975, according to the Duluth News Tribune.
For this Billings Park kid, today’s “Bygones” in the DNT brought back memories of when K-Mart opened in Superior in 1978. The excitement was tempered by the fear-turned-reality, that K-Mart was the beginning of the end of Kresge’s downtown on Tower Ave.
S.S. Kresge — a trusted five-and-dime chain founded in 1899 by Sebastian Spering Kresge, a former traveling salesman from Pennsylvania who believed in fair prices, cash sales, and making everyday goods affordable to working families. His retail vision helped define 20th-century shopping in America.
In Duluth, Kresge’s opened in the historic New Lyric Theater building on Superior Street in 1922. Over in Superior, WI, Kresge’s operated on Tower Avenue for decades. These stores were more than places to shop — they were part of the fabric of downtown life.
In 1962, the Kresge Company launched Kmart — a bold move into suburban discount retailing. While it offered modern convenience, its arrival stirred real concern. Many in the community feared that Kmart would hasten the decline of downtown districts and bring an end to the smaller five-and-dimes, including Kresge’s itself. Those fears came true.
Superior’s store opened in 1978 and was a community staple for nearly 40 years before closing in 2016.
Duluth’s West Kmart opened in 1980 and operated until 2018.
From five-cent counters to full-scale suburban aisles, Kresge’s and Kmart shaped how the Twin Ports shopped. They are now but a memory.
