According to the June 18, 1981, Daily Freeman-Journal, “several hundred people” were waiting when the new K-mart opened its doors in Webster City. It was the most prominent big-box retailer to have a store in Hamilton County. Webster City already had a Gibson Discount Center, which in the late 1970s was co-branded and then replaced with the Pamida name, according to this timeline from the Omaha World-Herald (reprinted via Kearney Hub) that covers the purchase and rebranding of all Pamida stores as ShopKos earlier this decade.
But now Webster City will have neither a Kmart nor a ShopKo Hometown, because the former got the ax with Sears’ bankruptcy filing in October and the latter will be closing in February.
YouTube user “Midwest Retail” has posted a walkthrough of the Webster City Kmart, “one of 4 tiny Kmart’s remaining.” The store is less than half the size of normal ones reflecting the smaller population area. Its last day, according to the user, is Jan. 31.