The End Of An Era – Final K-Mart Closes (But We’ve Got The Sub Sandwich Recipe)
The final K-Mart closed in America over the weekend. End of an era for so many of us, the store in Bridgehampton, NY (about two hours outside of NYC) shuttered for good on Sunday (it’ll become a Target…how ironic).
At their peak, K-Mart had over 2,000 stores in the United States (with the first store here in Garden City, Michigan). What happened to the old headquarters in Troy? At one time it was used for scenes in the remake of “Red Dawn” and explored by our friends at Detroit EXP (see below) before the building was demolished last year.
Remembering The K-Mart Sub
We have memories of K-Mart. The “blue light specials” (I’m pretty sure Mom NEVER raced over there to check it out…I was off like a shot). And of course there was the K-Mart cafe, a mystical place where food was served while you shopped (and the Icee machine called out to sugar addicted little kids like me).

But what was the go-to on the menu? Had to be the famous K-Mart sub. Sitting there for days/weeks/years at a time, just waiting for me to take it home (or maul it in the car). Miss those times? Never fear – we’ve got the recipe
Making the sub
You’re going to look at this recipe and say “oh that’s easy” – and you’re right. But that’s where the magic is found. Don’t deviate from the plan, keep it simple and it’ll come out perfect. Don’t go all dijon mustard or adding organically cultivated gouda for the cheese. Stick with the script. This sandwich wasn’t meant to be fancy, just good. Every single time.
- Super soft sub rolls – this is probably the hardest part – finding the right long sub roll!
- Meats
- Salami – preferably WITH the peppercorns – 2 slices salami per sandwich
- Bologna – Kmart used Oscar Mayer – 1 slice per sandwich
- Honey Roasted Ham – Oscar Mayer Honey Loaf Ham here as well – 1 slice ham per sandwich
- American Cheese – Kmart used Kraft cheese slices – 2 slices per sandwich
- Veggies
- White onion – sliced sliver thin
- Lettuce – shredded iceberg of course!
- Tomato slices – super thin
- Banana peppers – the yellow sweet mild banana pepper rings add an amazing and tangy crunch
- Dill pickle – thinly sliced
- Mustard – French’s yellow mustard (the only condiment on it – remember these were normally sitting out…mayo would’ve been bad)
Bottom Line
For most of us, K-Mart has been gone for a long time – the fact that this final store held on is amazing. But I prefer to remember the good stuff:
- Christmas shopping and always making my way straight back to the bikes…wanting a BMX.
- The smell of the store and the bustling folks in red vests (I always thought it looked like a cool place to work).
- Trips with Mom to get back to school clothes and supplies. Fond memories indeed