Old Kmart stores don't die — they become new-car dealerships.
At least that's the case in a northwest Michigan town where an $8 million project will transform a vacant Kmart building into the new home of two dealerships: 4 Seasons Ford-Lincoln-Mercury and Swaffer's Toyota.
The new location for the dealerships is near the city limits of Cadillac. (Vehicles of that name will be sold at a GM store elsewhere on U.S. 131.)
The new facility, with separate entrances for each dealership, will cover 110,000 sq. ft. — much of which is for a big showroom.
“We figured the community, really the whole area, was ready for a place where you could shop inside and not have to walk around in the snow or in the rain,” partner Kris Swaffer tells the Traverse City Record-Eagle local newspaper.
