Tennessee's major discount mart chain was an offshoot of Nashville- based Kuhn's Brothers 5 & 10s. The first Kuhn's Big K store opened, in the Music City, on May 10, 1962. The typical Big K store spanned between 40,000 and 75,000 square feet.
Big K stores spread rapidly across the Southeast. The Edward's 5 & 10 chain, of Charleston, South, Carolina, was acquired in September 1977. This merger added thirty-one Big K-Edward's locations in South Carolina and two in Georgia. In all, there were now 172 Big K-branded units.
Unfortunately, competition from Wal-Mart was cutting into the Big K customer base. By 1980, Big K was in trouble. In June 1981, a merger with Wal-Mart was worked out. Big K stores were rebranded by the Bentonville retailer during 1982.
KUHN'S BIG K-ANCHORED SHOPPING MALLS:
KUHN'S BIG K-ANCHORED SHOPPING MALLS:
*ASHLEY PLAZA, Charleston, SC (1978) [previously Edward's]
*CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE, North Charleston, SC (1978) [previously Edward's]
*CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE, North Charleston, SC (1978) [previously Edward's]
