Kmart/Exterior designs

Please note that this page is still a work in progress.

This is a list of exterior designs and store models used by Kmart.

Pre-1987 Prototypes (1962-87)
The bounds and naming schemes for these exterior designs are not officially used by Kmart and its affiliated enterprises.

Type 1
Ranging from 70,000 to 87,000 square feet, the Type 1 is one of Kmart's most common pre-1987 prototype stores. These stores first appeared around the early 70s, and were built throughout the early 80s. Most Type 1 stores featured an auto center and a garden shop. The exterior of the store was very uniform, as the entrances were often centered under the facade overhang that featured the signage. The main entrance was normally slightly offset from the center of the building. Stores featured a front lobby before entering the main sales floor. The pharmacy was normally located in one of the front corners of the store, either the left or right. It would most commonly be found on the garden shop side of the building. Behind the pharmacy would be the toy stockroom. Adjacent to the front auto center entrance from the interior of the store would be another stockroom.

Type 1.5
Type 1.5 stores share the same features as the Type 1 stores. The only major difference is the remodeled facade. They featured the same square footage as Type 1 stores, along with the same layout.

Type 4
This format was the largest of its cohorts, ranging from 90,000 to 105,000 square feet.

Series B Type 4
This format is very similar to Type 4. The only difference is the inclusion of windows next to the entrance, which the standard Type 4 plan does not have.

Series 36
Featuring a large curved façade and an entrance located to either the right or left of the store, the Series 36 made its first debut with the opening of a Conover, North Carolina location in October of 1987. These stores could also feature a different façade, with a lobby jutting out of the front of the store, as seen in Marshall, MI. This was Kmart's first major design change since the 70s and much of the 80s. The Left (L) and Right (R) designations have based on the side of the store on which the garden shop is located. There are also two major differences in the façade design of these types of stores. The majority of these stores were 86k square feet but ranged from 85k-91k square feet. There is, however, an exception, as the Chantilly, VA store was 104k square feet. The last Series 36 store was located in Marshall, MI and closed on November 22, 2021.

Series 37
Being perhaps the post-1987 design with the largest variety of facades, the first Series 37 opened in Doylestown, PA, on November 2, 1989. Following the opening of this store, it wasn't until 1990 that another Series 37 would be opened. Again, after another long drought of openings, more Series 37 stores began to open in 1991. The last store of this type opened in Parsippany, NJ in 1997. In total, 97 Series 37 stores were opened. The Series 37 stores were quite large in terms of square footage, ranging from 86k-112k square feet, with the majority of these stores being over 100k square feet. The average size was 104k-108k square feet. Similar to the earlier Series 36, Series 37 stores also received Left (L) and Right (R) designations based on the positioning of their garden shop. Being the first Series 37 to open, Doylestown, PA also became the last to close, closing on December 1, 2019.

C-Series 37
Being an estranged variant to the Series 37, only one known C-Series prototype exists. The main difference that gives it this special classification is the position of its entrance, which is placed at the right hand side of the store, with a garden shop also on the right. Granted, the entrance is positioned closer to the middle due to the odd placement of the garden shop, probably due to the property being landlocked by other buildings when being constructed. The Kmart in Watertown, NY is the only such store of this type. It was opened on April 12, 1993 and closed in September 2017. It was 112k square feet.

Series 39
Series 39 stores had a curved façade and two circular pillars on either side of the entrance. The first store of this design to open was the Kmart in Auburn Hills, Michigan, which closed in March 2003 as a Super Kmart. Similar to Kmart's Series 40 design, this store model featured a curved façade (the two designs were actually very similar). Stores of this design were categorized as either Series 39R or Series 39L, depending on the location of the Garden Shop on the store. Series 39L meant that the garden shop was on the left of the store, while Series 39R meant that the garden shop was on the right side of the store. The last Series 39 store was located in Walnutport, Pennsylvania and closed on August 30, 2020.

Former Venture
Stores that retained Venture's design prototype after being acquired by Kmart in 1997. The last store of this type to close was the Kmart in Crystal City, MO, which was also the last in the state of Missouri.

Former Caldor
Stores that retained Caldor's design prototype after being acquired by Kmart in 1999. The last Kmart, with this look closed on December 24, 2021.

Series 42
Series 42, the last widely-used Kmart exterior model was introduced at the Clio, Michigan Kmart when it opened on November 17, 1999. The model continued to be used throughout 2000 and 2001. In total, seven Series 42 stores were opened. By the time Kmart started using this model, they had stopped readily opening stores, making this model sort-of rare. The Clio, MI store was not only the first Series 42 to open, but also became the last, closing in December, 2019 (coincidentally in the same round of closures as the last Series 37 store, which was located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania)