South Asheville Kmart coming down; is Publix next?

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that the Kmart on Hendersonville Road is going to be torn down to make way for a new retail development:

The Kmart on Hendersonville Road will close by November, further fueling rumors that a Publix supermarket may be coming to the location.

Developer Rusty Pulliam, who owns the property, said Monday that Kmart, located at 1830 Hendersonville Road, would close by Oct. 31. The other tenants in the strip mall, GO Grocery and Cue ‘N Spirits, will close by then, too, he said.

Pulliam said the new project includes a “retail redevelopment” that will involve a “tear down and rebuild,” but he would not provide further details about possible new tenants. He did say he hopes to have the new building ready by fall 2014.

Rumors that Publix was planning to build a new store at the Hendersonville Road location were swirling back in April and May. That speculation followed the fact that Publix, which is building a new store in the Charlotte area, had made no bones about the fact that it was planning to push further into North Carolina.

Another Asheville Kmart is coming down to make way for a new grocery store. Demolition is soon to start on the old Kmart on Tunnel Road. A new Whole Foods grocery store will be built there.