Skip to Content
Culture

36 Photos of the Charred, Soon-to-Be-Demolished Lake Street Kmart from Its ’80s Heyday

The infamously located Minneapolis store appeared hoppin' one day in 1987.

Inside what was once (allegedly) America’s Favorite Store.

|James Orndorf

Since it opened in 1978, the awkwardly placed Kmart at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue has inspired grumbling and head-scratching from Minneapolitans. The vacant, graffitied, soon-to-be-razed building caught fire last week, hastening plans to demolish it and, eventually, reconnect Nicollet. For at least one autumn afternoon in 1987, however, the now-lifeless Kmart housed a bustling collection of shoppers eyeballing tube TVs, firearms, and cafeteria fare. Here's local photographer James Orndorf with that story.

I was a senior in high school at Hopkins High and taking photo classes at the U of M. I can’t recall what the assignment was, but at that time I was getting free film and darkroom access so I walked around Minneapolis all the time and took pictures of people.

I remember thinking that the Kmart had an insane number of fluorescent light fixtures. It was a well-lit store.

My brothers started letting me tag along, hitting the used record stores in the neighborhood when I was 10, and we went to punk-rock shows at Whittier Park; I loved that neighborhood. I started working at Sunday Night Dance party at First Ave that winter, then moved to Whittier after I graduated and lived a block and half from Kmart.

When I woke up last Friday and saw on the MPR Instagram that it was burning, it brought back a lot of memories about that neighborhood, so I dug out these photos to share.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Racket

Mpls Crime: Violence Down, Vibes Off, Chief Silent

Plus National Guard in MN?, former Twin's indie-rock connection, and 'Joe Mauer of Mahtomedi' in today's Flyover news roundup.

October 8, 2025

Having Mastered Human Policing, Cops Hand Duties Over to AI

Plus remembering the Vikings' sex boat scandal, Somalis soften on dog adoption, and Animales announce an opening date in today's Flyover news roundup.

Money Journal: 1 Week in Minneapolis’s Lyndale Neighborhood on a $53K Salary

How far do the dollars of a 41-year-old shipping manager go?

October 7, 2025

If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Your Complete Concert Calendar: Oct. 7-13

Pretty much all the music you can catch in the Twin Cities this week.

October 7, 2025
See all posts