I think I made this up, but in the late 80’s or early 90’s did KMart (when most of them got
remodled in the “K” format — the store signs were changed from the K M a r t to just “K”
wtih “Mart” scrawled in the middle of the K) have some sort of partenship with
Waldenbooks where there was a small book section in each store?
I remember the book section at the Hampton, VA store (which is surprisingly still open, it
opened in 1975, a few days after the Newmarket North/Newmarket Fair mall opened in
Hampton) was between the health and beauty section and the registers. The section was
mostly bestsellers and kids books. I remember about once a week mom let me get a
Babysitters Club book from that section of the store. For some reason I think I remember
seeing the Waldenbooks logo somewhere in that section.
The book section faded away sometime in the mid 1990’s and the last time I went to this
KMart in 2002 or 2003 the book section was just an aisle, and of course it was messy and
cluttered.
You are probably correct here. K-Mart owned Waldenbooks during that time period. It was part of a diversification strategy. K-Mart also owned Builders Square at the time.
Comment by Anonymous — March 30, 2006 @ 1:44 am |
K-Mart bought Waldenbooks from department-store chain Carter Hawley Hale in 1984/5, when CHH was divesting brands in order to fight a takeover bid. I remember Weinstock’s (the local CHH-owned department store where I grew up) having a Waldenbooks section prior to 1984.
Comment by drwende — August 13, 2006 @ 3:27 am |