Home decor chain to open at former Springfield Kmart

A home decor retail chain is planning a fall opening for its first Springfield store at the site of a former Kmart on South Campbell Avenue.

At Home, owned by Plano, Texas-based Garden Ridge Corp., would employ 20 part- and full-time workers at the 113,000-square-foot store, 3700 S. Campbell Ave., scheduled to open by October, said Garden Ridge spokeswoman Stacey Sullivan.

"Our size is our competitive advantage in the crowded retail marketplace," Sullivan said via email of the stores that average 120,000 square feet.

Sullivan, who was in a meeting this morning, did not say by deadline whether the company is leasing or purchasing the property, which as of March, was owned by Kmart Corp. and had an appraised 2013 value of $3 million, according to the Greene County assessor.

Garden Ridge Corp. announced this week it is investing $20 million to rebrand all of its Garden Ridge stores to the At Home brand. Expected to be complete by the holiday shopping season, the rebranding effort affects its 71 current stores in 21 states, as well as 13 new stores set to open this year. At Home sells items that include patio furniture, garden accessories, home furnishings, wall decor, rugs and housewares, according to a news release.

Kmart closed its South Campbell store this month, a money-saving move by parent company Sears Holdings Corp., which ended 2013 with a net loss of $1.4 billion. Sears Holdings (Nasdaq: SHLD) continues to operate two other Kmart stores in Springfield - at 1930 E. Kearney St. and 3101 S. Glenstone Ave - as well as a Sears store in the Battlefield Mall, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.