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Seniors at home in Seminole Kmart
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN SEMINOLE -- First, they heard the mall was being sold. Then came news that Kmart Corp., the nation's second-largest discount retailer, had filed for bankruptcy and would close some of its stores. The neighbors who live in two large retirement communities adjacent to Seminole Mall wonder what the financial developments mean for their Kmart, where they buy household goods, prescription medicines or $1.39 breakfasts at the store's cafe. They are placing their faith in a symbiotic relationship: As much as they count on the store, they believe Kmart relies on their presence as a built-in customer base. But a corporate spokeswoman says the bottom line will decide whether the store stays open. "I'm certain that they are dependent on one another," Susan Dennis said of the Seminole Kmart and the nearby retirees. "We just don't know yet (if the store will close), and we hope that if the store is doing well, it will continue to do so." The discount chain hopes a $2-billion financing package will sustain the company as it works on a reorganization plan, Dennis said from Kmart headquarters in Troy, Mich. Kmart officials say they plan to announce store closings on March 20 and to shutter the unprofitable stores by the end of the year. "To tell you the truth, I don't think this store will go," said James Halpin, who walks daily to Kmart from his condominium at Seminole Garden Apartments, a 64-acre complex with 773 units. Some days he visits the store a couple of times. Wednesday was no exception as he headed into the store late in the afternoon. "It's so handy," said Halpin, 85, who worked in the restaurant business in New York before retiring here in 1980. For others who live in Seminole Garden or Freedom Square Retirement Complex, the store is more than a convenience, it's a necessity. Many of the retirees no longer drive cars but walk or ride electric scooters and wheelchairs. Like Halpin, Rose Rosati is optimistic. "They're not going to close this place because they have too many people dependent on it," said Mrs. Rosati, who rides her scooter to the store every day. Mrs. Rosati, who is 79, is a regular diner at the store's cafe, whose menu includes breakfast sandwiches, chicken fingers, pepperoni pizza, nachos with cheese and frozen custard. "I cooked for 58 years for one man and three years for another, and I'm tired of cooking," she said Thursday morning. Every morning the cafe bustles with diners, many of whom live in the retirement communities. Enjoying a cup of coffee or a meal is a social outing. "It's a gathering place," said store manager Mike Smith. "These people actually feel like this is theirs. You don't see things like that in retail." Smith, who has been manager of the store since November, said he is impressed with some of the customers' dedication to the store, such as the man who retrieves shopping carts every morning. Smith said when he arrives at the store at 5:30 a.m., the man, riding his electric wheelchair, is rounding up stray carts in the parking lot. "He feels like this is a part of him," Smith said. The Seminole store is one of roughly 2,100 Kmarts nationwide. Kmart filed on Jan. 22 for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from its creditors. The company told a bankruptcy court it needed at least a year to fix its problems and find a way to lure back customers, some of whom cite Kmart's poor service and lack of merchandise as reasons why they now shop at Wal-Mart or Target. The Seminole Kmart seems to have avoided these frustrations. The store is bright and airy, the shelves are stocked and the employees are helpful. Although retirees Carl and Jo James don't live in either of the two retirement communities near Kmart, they visit the store six days a week. After walking four miles every morning in Seminole Mall, the couple join other walkers at the Kmart cafe for breakfast. About a dozen walkers swapped stories and sipped coffee around 8 a.m. Wednesday. "We definitely would miss this place," said Mrs. James, 67. "But I'm sure the people who live in the apartments would miss it more. It's their home away from home." Beverly Akers, one of about 400 Freedom Square residents, rides her electric wheelchair to Kmart two to three times a week. "It's a godsend to me because I get all of my prescriptions filled there," she said. "When you are confined to a wheelchair, a store like Kmart is a necessity. To me that whole mall is an absolute necessity." If the Kmart closes, the store's customers could shop at the mall's Publix and Beall's. Last month the shopping center's tenants received a letter stating the property was under contract to be sold. The merchants haven't been told who the buyer is, and Lamar Cos., which has owned the mall since 1998, has not returned phone calls. Mrs. Akers, 78, said if Kmart does close, she hopes that a similar store, such as Wal-Mart, fills the space. Harry Dale, an 80-year-old retiree who spends winters in a mobile home park in Seminole, said Kmart is the "lifeblood" of the mall. "I would sure miss it if it closes," he said.
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