W T Grant

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Swifty
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Location: Charleston, SC

Re: W T Grant

Post by Swifty »

Growing up in Columbus, GA, the main anchor in Cross Country Plaza was Service Merchandise. But it oddly only ever took up part of the large building it was in. It sat around collecting dust until Steve and Barry's moved in. And then right back out a few months later when they went under. Nextdoor in the same building, CVS had a store. But they moved out into the parking lot.Despite all of this, it was Apparently a WT Grant in a previous life. And it presumably never became a kmart.
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Over the past 6 months, they tore it down to build a new prototype Publix which was relocating from a few doors down. [
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Coincidentally, They tore down the old A&P for their original Publix store in 1997.
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This shopping center can never quite die.
wnetmacman
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Re: W T Grant

Post by wnetmacman »

I know this is an older thread, but here's the Shreveport store I mentioned waaaaaaay back on this one:.
sportgrant.jpg
This store opened on April 13, 1972. It was eventually renamed Grant City, and the center also featured Eckerd Drugs (which stayed the longest) and one of Shreveport's first Safeway stores.

This store was what piqued my interest in other chains occupying stores they didn't build. I learned with this store (as I only visited it as Kmart) that a Grants store had green floors, dual 4' drop ceiling light fixtures and an oddly situated Auto Center. I also found out that the center was leased out to another company by the time Kmart came into the picture.

A similar store was opened a few months later across the Red River in Bossier.

Of course we know that both stores closed in 1976. The Shreveport store became Kmart, which closed in 2003. Stage, Fred's and a few other stores occupy this once great store now.
sportkmart.jpg
(Dollar Tree was the Safeway; other than the sign it's largely as it appeared in 1976. Everything from Stage to the right was Grant's/Kmart)

Kmart was already operating across the street in Bossier City, so the Bossier store became a TG&Y Family Center, which closed in the mid 80's. The store would later become Louisiana's first Books-A-Million.
Scott Greer
Ephrata1966
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Re: W T Grant

Post by Ephrata1966 »

There was a "mini-mall" (which has long since been de-malled) in Northwest Houston called North Oaks Mall that opened in 1971 anchored by both Grant City and a TG&Y Family Center. The former Grants became a Target in 1976. Sometime after Target relocated (in 2002) the space was split into Hobby Lobby and Staples. The former TG&Y became a MacFrugal's in the early 90's, which along with the rest of the MacFrugal's/Pic N Save and Odd Lots stores was rebranded as Big Lots in 2002.
Ampersand
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Re: W T Grant

Post by Ampersand »

the old W.T. Grant that later became a KMart in Rotterdam NY Curry Road Plaza finally got demolished in favor of a nice apartment complex cool to know that Schenectady housed so many Department stores in its day.. I keep on hearing about Two Guys, Kresge's, Sears, Carl Company, Woolworth, Barney's
BillyGr
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Re: W T Grant

Post by BillyGr »

Ampersand wrote:the old W.T. Grant that later became a KMart in Rotterdam NY Curry Road Plaza finally got demolished in favor of a nice apartment complex cool to know that Schenectady housed so many Department stores in its day.. I keep on hearing about Two Guys, Kresge's, Sears, Carl Company, Woolworth, Barney's
That store stuck around for quite a long time abandoned before finally the demo you mention just recently, since Kmart moved to the Rotterdam Square when it first opened and I don't believe anything used the space after that?

Probably one or two other stores in downtown as well - if you want (and haven't already), look for Mohawk MallRats as a Facebook link and they mention a variety of stuff about the greater Schenectady area.

Back to Grant's, there was one in East Greenbush as well, in the plaza that now houses the Hannaford. It was the left end of the strip portion (the Hannaford building wasn't there at that time). Didn't become Kmart due to their already being one down the road, for a time it housed a flea market and has since been converted into several small storefronts.
RPAmesandKmartan26
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Re: W T Grant

Post by RPAmesandKmartan26 »

Speaking of Grants stores in my area, some people I knoew have been inside of a Grants before. We had one in North Attleboro (became Kmart), Coventry (Also became Kmart), and North Kingstown (Current Status Unknown).


Kmarts that started as Grant's that I've been in:
Enola PA (now closed)
Poughkeepsie NY Duchess
Palmer MA (I've seen it in person but I havent been inside)
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nysw3636
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Re: W T Grant

Post by nysw3636 »

KMart Poughkeepsie, NY (Arlington) closed December 2018.
Retail Forever
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Re: W T Grant

Post by Retail Forever »

A Safeway definitely moved in there.
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