Lower Manhattanites Mourn Closure Of Iconic Astor Place Kmart

EAST VILLAGE, NY — Iconic and Kmart are not words generally used in the same sentence, but the big-box retailer at Astor Place earned that designation after offering nearly 25 years of unique shopping experience to Lower Manhattanites.

The final day of business for the Kmart located in the East Village, just off the border of Greenwich Village, was on Sunday after employees had received news of the closure two days before. The neighborhood news site EV Grieve was the first publication to report on the closure.

The Astor Place location was the last remaining Kmart in Manhattan and had earned a reputation over the years for offering low prices and goods you might not expect to find at a national retailer.

Among its beloved oddities were a third-floor restroom that offered one of the few public options in the neighborhoods (it closed in 2018), and an entrance to the store within the 6 train station at Astor Place.

Earlier in 2021, Transformco, the company that owns Kmart, announced it was closing several locations, but the Astor Place outpost wasn't on the previously released list.

News of the closure sent shockwaves across the city and internet.

"The Astor Place Kmart was a magical blend of fresh-faced NYU theatre majors snagging props, corporate types picking up office supplies, and mysterious middle-aged women who shopped there just so they could pick fights with strangers in the checkout line," a Twitter user wrote.

"The day has come. The Astor Place Kmart is no more. RIP to the labyrinth that I'm almost certain had a black hole at the center," wrote someone else on Twitter. "You stopped me from failing school when I forgot to design projects or get props. I also randomly lost two blackberries there. Rest easy."

A different customer saying her online goodbyes to the Astor Place Kmart, wrote, "RIP weird cavernous comforting Astor Place Kmart."