I've worried about Kmart and Sears (closings so far: nothing too shocking, a few attached to C-list malls, Sears Essentials looks finished), though talk of what next concerns me too. Cutting inventory and more sub-leasing? I'm looking forward to Eddie Lampert, who essentially bought Kmart in bankruptcy and bought Sears, getting the boot, as he took huge raises while presiding over 18 consecutive losing quarters.
I've attached this cool shot of the 1996 Kmart website to reminisce on things gone by, and can't quite figure out what it is: do they prepare pizza in that? Is it like Subway, where they prepare it in front of your eyes, or that sushi place in town I have yet to try (if ever).
Elsewhere, I visited Michigan in 2010, but I didn't explore at all Grosse Point, Michigan, a charming-looking place on the edge of Detroit.
Check out Google Maps and explore the "Village", the downtown area, which actually looks pretty healthy and functional: Einstein Bros. Brothers, Starbucks, a dentist office, Gap, Ace Hardware, Borders (sorry, not anymore), and a street-front Kroger.
This has a bit of parking in the back and was a very cramped store, though recently, it was demolished and rebuilt as a two-level store (it now has a basement). Unfortunately, this meant that the facade is now completely different, and all but one of the employees left. Whoops.
Speaking of Google Maps, recently they changed the design of their Interstate and Highway logos to a thinner font. This is what they used to look like:
My brother left for Tennessee today. He sadly had to return the bottle of whiskey to the liquor store (as mentioned yesterday) and almost got his spices that he bought in Houston confiscated by TSA agents (they have been known to do unscrupulous things), which we all hate, but deep down they're just trying do their job, and don't have anything against people, most of them, anyway (my father once had a run-in with a particularly nasty TSA agent that taunted him over a small tube of toothpaste that was technically legal, and I have a feeling that she probably victimized others, too).
While digging around in the attic, we found an old picture that was on fired terra-cotta (or something) "by" me when I was younger (I think my grandfather helped me with my finger). I won't show it with you, but it looked a LOT like the "Red John" face. It was even in a light maroon color.
---
Time will tell what I want to do in Carbonizer! in 2012. It will be either grand or shut down. But lets try it out!
I think that's a salad bar for Kmart.
ReplyDelete