Source: www.freep.com
LeAnne Rogers, Hometown Life

Folks remember everything from the famous blue light specials to getting their first job there

There were always three particular points of pride when it came to Garden City businesses: The first Little Caesars opened on Cherry Hill at Venoy in 1959; the first Kmart opened in March 1962 on Ford at Middlebelt; and the first enclosed McDonald’s opened on Middlebelt south of Ford in 1966.

Now, that first Kmart store, a traditional anchor of Garden City’s downtown shopping district, is in the process of closing. Clearance sales are underway as the store, and a number of other Kmarts, including Westland, are closing as the once thriving retail chain struggles financially.

News of the store closing prompted lots of nostalgia from current and former Garden City residents who shopped and worked at the store over the years.

Norah Fix remembers the date the original Kmart store opened at Ford and Middlebelt in Garden City: March 1, 1962.

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