Industry Retail Headquarters Decatur Defunct January 2007 | Number of locations 17 stores (at closing) Founded 1957 Fate Liquidation | |
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Former type Corporation (privately held) Founder Kay and Raymond "Ray" Eldridge Sr. Area served Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky Key people Bill Weinstein (last president) | ||
K's Merchandise Mart, Inc. (usually known as simply K's Merchandise) was a catalog showroom department store based in Decatur, Illinois. It offered furniture, jewelry, and general merchandise, including electronics, at 17 locations in 5 Midwestern states at the time of its closing.
K's was founded in 1957 by Raymond "Ray" Eldridge Sr. and his brother Kay. However, by the 2000s, competition from big box stores had eroded K's sales for years, though it had 17 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Kentucky. Boston's Gordon Brothers Group took over the company from the original family, appointing Bill Weinstein as president. After an attempt at turning around the stores' operations, K's announced on 3 October 2006 that it would liquidate and close to pay off its creditors in full.
K's Merchandise also operated four chain stores by the name of "Bargain's Only", and had locations in Mt Zion, Champaign, Springfield and Peoria, Illinois. These stores closely resembled a TJ Maxx style offering, with clothing, household goods and furniture. They closed in front of their parent stores, with the final store closing in October 2006 in Mt. Zion.