Ground broken for Kmart in 1994
The stretch of Route 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach has changed a lot over the last 30 years.
Among those changes was the addition of Kmart in 1994. The company, which was big in the 1990s, purchased 15 acres just north of the original Ocean Outlets (Tanger Outlets Seaside). It opened a 57,000-square-foot building shortly thereafter. It remained open until 2017, when Kmart downsized and the building was split into several smaller units. Kmart shuttered in 2021, with an Aldi opening in its space later that year.
Other spaces have been home to PetSmart, AndThat! (which closed in 2023), TJMaxx and, most recently, Homesense.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and building pages, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
