TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - The famous blue light special that announced sales through the intercom at Kmart is going dark.
In January, the last store in the Toledo area will close.
Shoppers at the Oregon store were feeling reminiscent about the store that has been a fixture on Navarre Ave. for decades.
The news of the Kmart store in Oregon closing has hit close to home for a lot of people.
The store is a part of their history and memories.
Shopper Chris May says she's been a lifelong Kmart customer.
And by "lifelong," Chris literally means when her parents were taking her home from the hospital as a newborn, they didn't go straight home. They stopped at Kmart first.
"My mom stayed in the car with me and my dad ran in and got me diapers. I'm not going to say how many years ago when I was a baby though. That's why I have been loyal to Kmart since birth," said Chris.
Chris also remembers coming to has other good memories about coming to the store.
"I remember the Bluelight Specials, I remember when they had the pretzels and the slushies. I would go with my mom and they would say, 'Bluelight Special in Aisle 5', and we would run down the aisle to get the Bluelight Special, which was $2 off a blouse or something, but it was so much fun," said Chris.
The store started its close-out sale on November 9, bringing customers to the realization that this is the beginning of the end.
Customer Edith Carr says she's spent 46 years shopping the blue light special.
"It used to be a center grocery store in between and a Kmart. My whole family has been coming here we're going to miss it greatly," said Edith.
They'll miss the store and its deals, but Oregon's City Administrator, Mike Beazely, says the closing is tough for employees and loyal customers.
At the same time however, Beazely says making the large property available will give the city a chance to achieve bigger, long-term goals like creating a more downtown feel.
Some of the shoppers agree.
They say they hope the building does not stay empty for long and they would welcome other retail options in Oregon.
The Sears Holding Corporation said the store will shut its doors for good after the holiday season. Sears Holding closed its last full-service Sears store in September.
In all, 45 K-Mart stores and 18 Sears stores will close in January of 2018. The company notified the stores on Thursday.
Sears Holdings announced more store closings coming up in 2018.
