Kmart Blacktown: NSW’s oldest store marks 50th anniversary
Australia’s second-oldest Kmart store will celebrate 50 years since it opened its doors in Blacktown. A lot has changed including the fact you can no longer buy a gun there.
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A lot has changed at Kmart Blacktown since it opened its doors 50 years ago.
The first store in NSW — and second in Australia — made history when it opened in Blacktown in October 1969, attracting up to 25,000 shoppers on the first day of trade.
In the early days, Kmart had its own pharmacy, discount food supermarket and cafeteria, and stocked everything from guns to budgies.
The store will celebrate 50 years at its Patrick St site later this month, and while many members of staff have come and gone, some have stayed the same.
The group, known as ‘The Originals’, includes 12 long-serving staff who have clocked up close to 400 years of combined service.
Among the familiar faces are Emilia Pacchiarotta and sisters Mary Ann and Christine Zammit who have worked at the store for more than four decades.
Ms Pacchiarotta was a young mum when she walked into Kmart for a spot of shopping in 1975 and inquired about a job at the store cafe, Holly’s.
She was given a casual job the same week and spent 25 years working as a cook in the cafe.
The cafe closed in the early 2000s and Ms Pacchiarotta transitioned to a new role on the shop floor and the registers.
Today, customers may recognise her as a friendly door person, greeting customers at the store entrance.
The Zammit sisters were only 14- and 15-years-old when they started work at Blacktown Kmart in the late 70s.
The sisters have fond memories of moving to Blacktown to “escape the rat race” in 1968 when the foundation for the new Kmart was just being laid.
“We were in the car driving through Blacktown one day and mum turned to dad and said, ‘Do you think the girls might one day work here?,” Mary Ann recalled.
After a brief stint with the opposition — Woolworths — Mary Ann joined her older sister at the store, working in manchester.
Over the years, Mary Ann has worked across the store’s many departments before landing her current role at the service desk.
In her 43 years at the store, Mary Ann said her team members had become family.
“I can’t call them staff because they’re more family,” she said.
“Anytime we’ve had any problems, we’ve been there for each other. Any happy times, any sad times, we’ve all stuck together.”
Christine was just 15 when she began work at the store 42 years ago after passing a challenging maths tests on measurements and conversions.
“At that time, in 1977, we went from pounds to kilos, so I had to know how to convert kilos into pounds, and I passed,” Christine said.
“I got a job in confectionary and weighed lollies for customers. We had a soft-serve machine and I also worked in cosmetics, because it was right next to me.”
After a period in ladies’ wear, she worked in menswear for 15 years before shifting to the repairs department, kids’ clothing and her current role, filling the store.
“I love what I do,” she said.
“I love the people, the variety of work — it’s changing all the time.
“Nearly all of the customers that come in now know us all and treat us like family.”
The sisters said the biggest changes they had witnessed was in their time at the store included the closure of Holly’s cafe, the auto bay, pet department and chemist.
In 2014, the store underwent it’s biggest transformation, with a new store fit out, floor plan and signage. The store underwent another makeover in 2016 with an update of its exterior
“We’ve seen our store go from old to new,” Christine said.
“We’re modern and you can buy anything you need here and it’s all cheap. In the olden days we were cheap and now we’ve gone back to being a discount store again.
The women also recall the store’s transition to 24-hour trading in 2011, which ushered in a new era for the chain.
Today the store employs over 200 staff and is the second biggest store in NSW after Kmart Mt Druitt.
Kmart fans are invited to a community celebration to celebrate the store’s big milestone on Wednesday, October 30 at 9.30am. Former and current staff will join in on the celebration.
KMART BLACKTOWN’S ‘THE ORIGINALS
Emilia Pacchiarotta — 44 years
Mary Ann Zammit — 43 years
Christine Zammit — 42 years
Debbie Turnbull — 33 years
Maryanne Pearce — 33 years
Michelle Brown — 32 years
Linda Hanckel — 31 years
Cheryl Ives — 30 years
Donna Dorward — 28 years
Melissa Payne — 27 years
Angelina Schmid — 25 years
Garry Locke — 25 years