10/28/2024
The closing of the last K-Mart store in the U.S. brought back many memories of so many good times growing up shopping for toys and wandering, carefree, around the aisles without a worry in the world or any concern by our Mama.
The store in Fort Smith, Arkansas was so alive with shoppers, clerks and those “blue light specials” that K-Mart made famous, that we didn’t mind our Mama spending hours in the material department feeling each fabric and, we thought, buying every piece of fabric in the store, because that gave us more time to wander like grownups throughout the store. My brother, Robert particularly liked the toy department. Me being seven years older of course, liked to read the movie star magazines and, later, check out the make-up and the clothes.
Later, as a Dallas Kim Dawson model I was booked for many years to model in the mid 70’s and 80’s fashions in the ads that K-Mart, Wal-Mart and Venture mailed out and were available in their stores all over the country.
My Dad, Bob Huston, traveled and worked throughout the U.S. He was always excited to go each month to the nearest K-Mart store and pick up an advertisement /flyer to find me smiling brightly. I can see him even now as he proudly showed everyone his daughter in the latest K-Mart ad.
The closing of K-Mart ends an era of a giant retailer for many of us. But the memories will always be there for me and so many K-Mart Shoppers.
Here’s one of the ads from my K-Mart modeling days. Can you spy the girl from Arkansas?