Kmart is Closing in Hillsborough

Well, the rumors are true. Kmart on Route 206 in Hillsborough will be closing. While the closing date is unknown as of the date of this blog, Sears has announced additional Kmart closures as of Feb. 23, and this store is one of them.

From an outsider’s perspective, this seems to me that the decision to close the Hillsborough store is one that is being directed by corporate headquarters and isn’t an issue that stems from local origins. To try to find out more, I contacted Hillsborough’s Business Advocate, Gene Strupinsky, to see if he had any additional information as to what exactly was happening in this soon-to-be vacant anchor storefront.

Strupinsky stated, “Before we fully know what are the implications of Kmart's closing in Hillsborough we will need to talk to Sears (remember Sears is a tenant not the owner) to find out when this will happen, and what are their plans for the Kmart employees; and to the property owners to see what are their plans for the site."

So right now, the Kmart closure announcement is so new that no one can say with certainty who a possible new tenant could be, or when that would take place. 

“My initial reaction is that this is an opportunity to invigorate a retail section of Route 206 that has seen better times," continued Strupinsky. "When Sears closed a number of Kmart stores several years ago, it surprised me that Hillsborough's Kmart was not one of them. When I looked into it further, I found out that that Sears was paying a low rent and had options to extend their lease for many years. This apparently helped to keep this store open."

True, as much as I loved Kmart for its convenience of being nearby to shop, from outward appearances, it has looked like it’s needed a facelift for a while. It was nice to not have to fight for a parking space, but when a store’s lot is not nearly full, that’s not a good sign.

“Remember, as with , and the earlier closings of Pathmark, Cost Cutters and Charlie Brown's, this is less a reflection of Hillsborough and its economic vitality than it is of these chains, which were and are closing many stores throughout this region and even nationwide,” echoed Strupinsky of my sentiments on the situation.

(Really, Blockbuster had its hay-day before Netflix, On-Demand and other forms of Internet TV took over the video viewing market. It just couldn’t survive its competition without changing with the times.)  

So what now? Panic? No. I don’t think so. Sometimes change is just that—change. Imagine if nothing changed as time went on. We’d still all have faded orange and lime-green kitchens with love beads hanging from our doorways and be walking on shag rugs like people did in the 1970s, for example. 

Strupinsky reassured, “As a result of this recession, the economy continues to go through many changes and the township will continue to work with property owners, real estate and financial firms, and county and state agencies to make these transitions as positive as possible.”