I was born,here in lawton,ok kmart was my favorite store to shop and yes i know these places from the back of my hand and long john silvers my mom worked there miss these places
I store Managed This Kmart. 2014-2016 liquidated the store. It was sad. Enjoyed this store. Employees. Sentimental with it grew up and lived in Lawton my whole life with this Kmart! Susie was my HR who worked there over 30 years she stayed until the end with us and Carla who was their the same amount who stayed until the end! The best group in the world! Team 3044 until the End!!!
Grew up and still stay in Lawton Oklahoma for 32 years I remember there being a little Caesars on the far left side of the building I shopped there until the day they closed ...they have turned it into a U-HAUL storage place now so sad thanx for showing the inside!!
And Cali Burrito is great! They aren’t a national or regional chain, rather a local family owned eatery operating in two locations now. Really good food and folks.
Oh my God this was the Kmart I used to go to and I was a little kid. I remember when I got my first little Kmart card and I walked in here and I remember going to that café man. That food was good.😢
growing up my mom and grandma took me here and i would come here alot everytime it was slowly dying off i would get sibling birthday presents here i would get back to school stuff here its so sad this place closed down
Growing up watching this place slowly die off was sad, my mother took me here a lot because the Walmart’s are just mad houses, getting clothes for school and having the little Cesars in the corner of the store was awesome for a kid way better than Starbucks as a child but their prices was higher than other stores and everyone just looking to get the better deal. Had a lot of memories in that store..
My mom and I used to eat at that Taco Bueno. I think it was previously a Taco Tico but I could be wrong. I just remember choco-tacos!! I used to love going to that K-Mart before it was a Big K. They had the old school cafe in the center of the store with the 70's/80's brown glass around the top of the cafe. The S&B's by that parking lot has amazing food!!
The South side of the building used to be a Chucky Cheese in the early 80's. Which K Mart later expanded into it and that's where they had a little Caesar and more clothing.
Wallie Thanks for sharing your store tours! I just found out that in Guam they have the world's largest K-Mart , and no Target, or Wal-mart to give them troubles! It even has a Little Caesar's inside ! This store may be able to keep this landmark store going, and of course there is a K- Mart chain in Australia, and New Zealand! Thanks for your time , and sharing !! We have a Cali- burrito in Allentown, PA., but not sure if they are related!!
So cool to see you tape my Big K. Lots of memories of that place. I hated to see it close. The clothes were to the left as soon as you walked in. It had a snack bar/Little Ceasars Pizza to the far left wall, towards the back left corner was a portrait studio and restrooms. Bought my 6ft Christmas tree on Black Friday for $20 that I still use to this day. Aww, the good ol days.
I ran 3 different Kmarts in Las Vegas until they closed...kinda cool seeing the inside of an empty Kmart. And for people who do not know, Kmart used to operate franchises of Little Ceasar's Pizza in over 500 stores, Builders Square, Big 5 Sorting Goods and 1 famous shoe store, can't remember the name now.
@@beatlesnmore I think Kmart actually owned those franchises, kind of like how some Target stores with a full cafe have franchise agreements to be able to sell Pizza Hut products (I know Target had a franchise agreement because I worked at Pizza Hut/Yum! in 2021). At least at my childhood Kmart, when the franchise agreement expired, the vacant bank across the street turned into a Little Caesar's as the one in Kmart closed.
I worked there for the last 3 years of its life. This was my home. I cried when it shutdown. One of the best jobs I ever had. With the building being in such bad shape they will have to demolish it. We were warned about the asbestos in the building and how a tiny chip in the floor or walls would have to be dealt with in the manner of the building shutting down until special people could come and take care of it. We had major procedures for an incident like that. So sad to see it in this state it's in.
In April 1996 I was stationed there. It was my 19th birthday ,just out of training. I bought a polo shirt and pair of jeans there and then ate at the Long John Silvers that was close by...
WOW! Had no idea it looks this bad. My sister, who still lives in Lawton, worked there for over 30 years. I was living there from 1975-1980. My Mom and sister both still live here. I never go visit, because I hate this town. I now live in Beautiful Tulsa Oklahoma.
My home town, the layout of that store. You are correct about the Customer service desk and the registers. Clothing was located from the customer service desk all the way to the left. There was a little ceasers restaurant in there all the way to the left in the front section of K Mart. That closed a few years before the main store did. It end up becoming another area to stage Clothing. Jewelry counter was located right there in the middle of the store when u first walk in. Shoes, sporting goods located on the back wall towards the middle of the store. Home decor,food/drinks, automotive, hardware, toys located on the right side of the store. Electronics located on the right, in the front of the store.
I love shopping at Kmart I'll bring my son there they had a lot of good deals the Blue Light Special I loved it around Christmas time I love Christmas shopping there I sure miss Kmart
Local in Lawton Kmart refuse to put any maintenance in the building since the mid 90s the last couple years it was open and they had no air-conditioning it was like a tinderbox in the summertime as for the water on the floor I believe it Puddles on the roof and then dumps into the ceiling That section on the side of the building was the garden center best concept I can come up with if somebody ever tried to open it up you’ll have to redo the entire building
2:00 Antonini was responsible for the major renovations in the early-90's, one of which was relocating centered doors. Big Kmart didn't do that major of a renovation to the building (their biggest thing was new fixtures like refrigeration coolers for milk).
So many memories at this Kmart I was stationed at fort sill l. Used to go there all the time thanks for the walk down memory lane. have a great week. Love the videos keep them coming.
Clothing area was directly across from the customer service. The water isn't from a tornado. We haven't had one here in a long time. Just rain and neglect.
Where you entered was the automotive department. I grew up going to this store. They actually put a business in the automotive department area about a month ago.
I love how in some videos you will hear wallies favorite (and my favorite) theme :waterfront dining. Nice vintage theme songs to match the vintage retail stores
This location is in fair condition. Not in great shape but salvageable. Definitely salvageable. But yesterday would have been a good time to start salvaging this location.
Man that’s my hometown Lawton Oklahoma it’s on 38th street that building has been for sale for years. I remember as a kid Chuck e Cheese was next to it til it went out of business in 86 or 87. They should just tear it down too me.
I lived in Lawton in the early 80's as a kid. This K Mart was really thriving then. My family did a lot of shopping there. There used to be a Chuck E. Cheese next door. Oftentimes, we would finish our shopping then head over there and play video games. It's very sad and depressing to see this place shuttered and decaying. Good job on the video, though.
When I was very young there was a ShowBiz or Chuck E. Cheese on the left side of that store facing the front door. It had a little "mouse hole" door you could go through. I don't remember a whole lot about it other than the door; I remember vaguely the arcade area and the ball pit.
I must have eaten a 1000 tacos at that Taco Bueno, the IHOP in the background had an MLRS training round (no boom) accidentally strike the parking lot I think it was in 1986.
Jeez. This was a big building for a Big Kmart, definitely w lot of space for the sells floor. Seeing power inside with all that water damage just reminds me of Century III Mall. For a split second, I actually thought the doors were gonna open lol.
I wish I could get up there sooner. I had planned to come up this fall but due to unforseen circumstances around home, we had to postpone any trip up that way. But rest assured we will eventually be up that way!
I live a few blocks from this old K-Mart (now a u-haul center). The side was a garden center. I do not recall ever seeing an auto center there but maybe in the 80s-90s it may have been there. The store was saved from an earlier round of Kmart closures by an outcry from the people of Lawton. Unfortunately, they didnt improve the store and people stopped shopping. The ceiling leaked a lot even before it went under. It was sad to see it go...but the corporate HQ didnt care to invest. I taught one of my kids to drive in that parking lot....as do a lot of the locals.
I’ve been in that store many a time. Bought my first shotgun there back in 93. My mother worked the jewelry department for years to pay her way through Cameron college. It’s a shame how it went down hill and they all went out of business.
The kmart in Santa Rosa Northern California around 2015 or 2016 had a leaking problem during the rain, then in October of 2017 morning got burn , other few restaurants , trailer homes were burn from the awful firestorms and then Petaluma California was closed later on but it's lonely abandoned for right man those awful fire seasons and now it's empty land , Santa Rosa California which is northern California and I miss kmart a lot !
Hey WallieB26 there is another old Kmart in Tulsa Oklahoma it's at 21st Street and 101 street off highway 169 that was being turned into a U-Haul storage place
That place has been empty for so long because of the owner. The building requires a grip of renovation and upgrading. The owner wants to charge like a million dollars to obtain it. The Mathis store wanted to obtain it to move there, but the owner wants too much for what it's worth. So instead of bargaining and looking at the big picture they just let it sit and rot. Making it a U-Haul is okay, but it still doesn't upgrade Lawton. Heck, that just like them opening that big musty Goodwill next to Walmart...LOL There used to be a Chucky Cheese there. When they closed it in the 80s they knocked the walls down and expanded the K-Mart.
I remembered that Store going in from when i was from age 9 to 14
I was born,here in lawton,ok kmart was my favorite store to shop and yes i know these places from the back of my hand and long john silvers my mom worked there miss these places
I store Managed This Kmart. 2014-2016 liquidated the store. It was sad. Enjoyed this store. Employees. Sentimental with it grew up and lived in Lawton my whole life with this Kmart! Susie was my HR who worked there over 30 years she stayed until the end with us and Carla who was their the same amount who stayed until the end! The best group in the world! Team 3044 until the End!!!
Did they have a auto center
Grew up and still stay in Lawton Oklahoma for 32 years I remember there being a little Caesars on the far left side of the building I shopped there until the day they closed ...they have turned it into a U-HAUL storage place now so sad thanx for showing the inside!!
I live in Lawton, OK. This store is being turned into a U-Haul storage unit facility.
As of January 2022, this old Kmart is in the retrofit process of becoming a UHaul repair and maintenance center. We’re very happy about that!
And Cali Burrito is great! They aren’t a national or regional chain, rather a local family owned eatery operating in two locations now. Really good food and folks.
My first job was at this Kmart as a cashier back in '97-'98. Met my 1st husband here.
Oh my God this was the Kmart I used to go to and I was a little kid. I remember when I got my first little Kmart card and I walked in here and I remember going to that café man. That food was good.😢
growing up my mom and grandma took me here and i would come here alot everytime it was slowly dying off i would get sibling birthday presents here i would get back to school stuff here its so sad this place closed down
Growing up watching this place slowly die off was sad, my mother took me here a lot because the Walmart’s are just mad houses, getting clothes for school and having the little Cesars in the corner of the store was awesome for a kid way better than Starbucks as a child but their prices was higher than other stores and everyone just looking to get the better deal. Had a lot of memories in that store..
That's sad
1:20 one of those ones Antonini remodeled where they moved the doors from the center to the end. They were better in the center!
I remember the smell of popcorn every time I entered that K-mart as a child.
My mom and I used to eat at that Taco Bueno. I think it was previously a Taco Tico but I could be wrong. I just remember choco-tacos!! I used to love going to that K-Mart before it was a Big K. They had the old school cafe in the center of the store with the 70's/80's brown glass around the top of the cafe. The S&B's by that parking lot has amazing food!!
The South side of the building used to be a Chucky Cheese in the early 80's.
Which K Mart later expanded into it and that's where they had a little Caesar and more clothing.
5:37 that was the garden center.
Wallie Thanks for sharing your store tours! I just found out that in Guam they have the world's largest K-Mart , and no Target, or Wal-mart to give them troubles! It even has a Little Caesar's inside ! This store may be able to keep this landmark store going, and of course there is a K- Mart chain in Australia, and New Zealand! Thanks for your time , and sharing !! We have a Cali- burrito in Allentown, PA., but not sure if they are related!!
Wow I grew up here and it's sad to see it this way 😢
So cool to see you tape my Big K. Lots of memories of that place. I hated to see it close. The clothes were to the left as soon as you walked in. It had a snack bar/Little Ceasars Pizza to the far left wall, towards the back left corner was a portrait studio and restrooms. Bought my 6ft Christmas tree on Black Friday for $20 that I still use to this day. Aww, the good ol days.
Thank you for all your time and effort
I ran 3 different Kmarts in Las Vegas until they closed...kinda cool seeing the inside of an empty Kmart. And for people who do not know, Kmart used to operate franchises of Little Ceasar's Pizza in over 500 stores, Builders Square, Big 5 Sorting Goods and 1 famous shoe store, can't remember the name now.
@@beatlesnmore Kmart never owned Little Caesar's, it has always been family-owned.
@@christiangonzales7429 they were franchises inside over 500 stores, thanks for clarifying
@@beatlesnmore I think Kmart actually owned those franchises, kind of like how some Target stores with a full cafe have franchise agreements to be able to sell Pizza Hut products (I know Target had a franchise agreement because I worked at Pizza Hut/Yum! in 2021). At least at my childhood Kmart, when the franchise agreement expired, the vacant bank across the street turned into a Little Caesar's as the one in Kmart closed.
I worked there for the last 3 years of its life. This was my home. I cried when it shutdown. One of the best jobs I ever had. With the building being in such bad shape they will have to demolish it. We were warned about the asbestos in the building and how a tiny chip in the floor or walls would have to be dealt with in the manner of the building shutting down until special people could come and take care of it. We had major procedures for an incident like that. So sad to see it in this state it's in.
On the left of the front ,south end used to be an original Chuck E Cheese Pizza. 1982ish. They were awesome!!!
Look at the front where it says Kmart real big
One day we’ll get that for a new intro maybe haha
Spent many,many years shopping in this store when it was very nice in the 80’s. That was a blast of memories flooding back.
In April 1996 I was stationed there. It was my 19th birthday ,just out of training. I bought a polo shirt and pair of jeans there and then ate at the Long John Silvers that was close by...
There was a movie theatre nearby back then too.
I worked in that K-Mart in the mid 1980s
WOW! Had no idea it looks this bad. My sister, who still lives in Lawton, worked there for over 30 years. I was living there from 1975-1980. My Mom and sister both still live here. I never go visit, because I hate this town. I now live in Beautiful Tulsa Oklahoma.
Sorry for your hate
My home town, the layout of that store. You are correct about the Customer service desk and the registers. Clothing was located from the customer service desk all the way to the left. There was a little ceasers restaurant in there all the way to the left in the front section of K Mart. That closed a few years before the main store did. It end up becoming another area to stage Clothing. Jewelry counter was located right there in the middle of the store when u first walk in. Shoes, sporting goods located on the back wall towards the middle of the store. Home decor,food/drinks, automotive, hardware, toys located on the right side of the store. Electronics located on the right, in the front of the store.
I love shopping at Kmart I'll bring my son there they had a lot of good deals the Blue Light Special I loved it around Christmas time I love Christmas shopping there I sure miss Kmart
Local in Lawton Kmart refuse to put any maintenance in the building since the mid 90s the last couple years it was open and they had no air-conditioning it was like a tinderbox in the summertime as for the water on the floor I believe it Puddles on the roof and then dumps into the ceiling That section on the side of the building was the garden center best concept I can come up with if somebody ever tried to open it up you’ll have to redo the entire building
Hi my friend and Awesome find and take care
2:00 Antonini was responsible for the major renovations in the early-90's, one of which was relocating centered doors. Big Kmart didn't do that major of a renovation to the building (their biggest thing was new fixtures like refrigeration coolers for milk).
Hey Wallie, this is now a U-haul storage
So many memories at this Kmart I was stationed at fort sill l. Used to go there all the time thanks for the walk down memory lane. have a great week. Love the videos keep them coming.
The bricked area on the right side of the building was indeed the auto center.
Clothing area was directly across from the customer service. The water isn't from a tornado. We haven't had one here in a long time. Just rain and neglect.
Where you entered was the automotive department. I grew up going to this store. They actually put a business in the automotive department area about a month ago.
Lawton, Oklahoma and Fort Sill. It's not the end of the world but you can sure as Hell see it from there.
Depressing to see it closed down. :( I loved it so much.
Uhaul bought it. It’s an indoor storage. You should’ve gone to Cali burrito. It’s pretty amazing.
thanks for sharing this wallie kmart building are always cool to watch hope your having good time down there.
I love how in some videos you will hear wallies favorite (and my favorite) theme :waterfront dining. Nice vintage theme songs to match the vintage retail stores
Great video WallieB26
Why are you at very abandoned vid
@@chickenman6 is there a problem if he is not doing anything wrong leave him be please
@@jcwnetwork5548 I know, it’s just I see him everywhere, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, I just see him all the time
@@jcwnetwork5548 and I'm a female
There is also an abandoned Kmart in Clinton Oklahoma.
You should eat at Eischen’s Bar in Okarche
First! Nice Video Wallie!
Change in the front building materials was from Kmart blocking in the huge floor to ceiling storefront windows back in the early to mid-1980s.
Again, I say it's such a shame so much land is now concrete and abandoned. Thanks guys. 😊
Needs to be reverted back to nature
Thank you for the video. I loved K-Mart. I used to work at K-Mart. Stay safe, take care, God bless you. Enjoy your day!
Chuckie cheese was next door and a theater but Kmart is now U-Haul storage
This location is in fair condition. Not in great shape but salvageable. Definitely salvageable. But yesterday would have been a good time to start salvaging this location.
RIP Kmart. Great video!
There use to be a chuck and cheese next to it many years ago
Man that’s my hometown Lawton Oklahoma it’s on 38th street that building has been for sale for years. I remember as a kid Chuck e Cheese was next to it til it went out of business in 86 or 87. They should just tear it down too me.
There was one in my Oklahoma town - replaced it with a strip mall with five stores so far doing more business in a month than Big K did in six.
Savage
Shopped there back in the day when we lived in Frederick.
I remember when I started shopping there in the 90’s they had a Little Caesars and an Olan Mills..those were the good old days.
I lived in Lawton in the early 80's as a kid. This K Mart was really thriving then. My family did a lot of shopping there. There used to be a Chuck E. Cheese next door. Oftentimes, we would finish our shopping then head over there and play video games. It's very sad and depressing to see this place shuttered and decaying. Good job on the video, though.
I grew up in the 80’s too. My brother worked at that Chuck E Cheese so we spent soooooo much time there.
My 5th or 6th surprise birthday party was help at that Chuck E. Cheese!! K-Mart was one of my favorite places as a kid too!!
Good video1 That sure was a big Kmart store! That garden shop was big too! Sad to see it falling apart!
U-haul took over this store and they are currently building additional storage on the parking lot.
The part with the awnings was a garden center. Source: lived in Lawton
Been in that Kmart many of times.
When I was very young there was a ShowBiz or Chuck E. Cheese on the left side of that store facing the front door. It had a little "mouse hole" door you could go through. I don't remember a whole lot about it other than the door; I remember vaguely the arcade area and the ball pit.
I must have eaten a 1000 tacos at that Taco Bueno, the IHOP in the background had an MLRS training round (no boom) accidentally strike the parking lot I think it was in 1986.
Thank you for your great videos! I like the Kmart ones the best.
You and your family should have gone to the Cali Burrito restaurant, it is one of the better places to eat and it is locally owned.
wow so cool old bihkmart ty for video this
One cool fact is that kmart was literally right around the corner from my my house when it was closed down It was turned into old time pottery
Jeez. This was a big building for a Big Kmart, definitely w lot of space for the sells floor. Seeing power inside with all that water damage just reminds me of Century III Mall. For a split second, I actually thought the doors were gonna open lol.
Hey that's cool. I live in elk City Oklahoma, graduated from cache Oklahoma. This is cool
Please come to Northern New England soon. With all our hidden gems, the fall foliage is starting now :)
I wish I could get up there sooner. I had planned to come up this fall but due to unforseen circumstances around home, we had to postpone any trip up that way. But rest assured we will eventually be up that way!
I live a few blocks from this old K-Mart (now a u-haul center). The side was a garden center. I do not recall ever seeing an auto center there but maybe in the 80s-90s it may have been there. The store was saved from an earlier round of Kmart closures by an outcry from the people of Lawton. Unfortunately, they didnt improve the store and people stopped shopping. The ceiling leaked a lot even before it went under. It was sad to see it go...but the corporate HQ didnt care to invest. I taught one of my kids to drive in that parking lot....as do a lot of the locals.
Awesome video wallie keep it up!
Great_video,,Thank-You..!..
I was in Lawton about 3/4 months ago and they where starting to turn it into something else..
Nice Wallie
I’ve been in that store many a time. Bought my first shotgun there back in 93. My mother worked the jewelry department for years to pay her way through Cameron college. It’s a shame how it went down hill and they all went out of business.
At the time, I hope you were able to goto S & B Burger Joint red building on top of the hill.
Hay just wanted to give you an update about the Kmart it is know a U-Haul storage facility
Awesome video man
My mom was born at Fort Sill
It was Chucky Cheeze on one side . When Chucky Cheeze closed k mart expanded the building
My goal is to visit the south some day. It seems nice down there in those southern states.
Not really nice
Yayyy wallie is in my state. and our Kmart's here in Oklahoma is kinda big on the outside🤣
On the very left (south end), was a Chuck E Cheese in the early 80’s.
Thank you Wallie. I've been waiting for this since July. Awesome job as always.
It’s going to be a u-Haul is what is opening there
A great video, Wallie! Have a KMartlicious Day!
The kmart in Santa Rosa Northern California around 2015 or 2016 had a leaking problem during the rain, then in October of 2017 morning got burn , other few restaurants , trailer homes were burn from the awful firestorms and then Petaluma California was closed later on but it's lonely abandoned for right man those awful fire seasons and now it's empty land , Santa Rosa California which is northern California and I miss kmart a lot !
Good to still see abandoned Kmarts all the ones in my area are gone or have been repurposed
The Market Basket near me is actually a former KMart. The KMart closed in May of 2016.
For Sale is my favorite company of all time. So much prestige!
Up on the hill used to be an IHOP, I think it’s a burger place now.
It is called S&B Burger .
“There is so many buildings left and abandoned” Me living here “haha…. He’s right”
Cool 😀
Hey WallieB26 there is another old Kmart in Tulsa Oklahoma it's at 21st Street and 101 street off highway 169 that was being turned into a U-Haul storage place
I miss Kmart
Quite a while ago there was a Chuckie Cheese on the south end of the KMart building.
WallieB26, really enjoyed your awesome abandoned Kmart video!
Great video Wallie
That place has been empty for so long because of the owner. The building requires a grip of renovation and upgrading. The owner wants to charge like a million dollars to obtain it. The Mathis store wanted to obtain it to move there, but the owner wants too much for what it's worth. So instead of bargaining and looking at the big picture they just let it sit and rot. Making it a U-Haul is okay, but it still doesn't upgrade Lawton. Heck, that just like them opening that big musty Goodwill next to Walmart...LOL
There used to be a Chucky Cheese there. When they closed it in the 80s they knocked the walls down and expanded the K-Mart.
Kmart Will Always Be Missed.