After Kmart announced they were closing their location at the South Hills Mall, Hudson Valley residents immediately started speculating what might move in to replace it.

The liquidation sale has already begun at the Kmart in Poughkeepsie, with doors expected to close for good in July. Now the question remains, what will happen to the building once Kmart moves out?

Last month there was word that Trader Joe's was looking to expand into the Hudson Valley area. In fact, some were reporting that there was a proposal already in front of the City of Kingston's planning board that was seeking approval to start building. We still haven't heard any solid confirmation on this, but rumors have been circulating that perhaps the soon-to-be-vacated property in the South Hills Mall may be a perfect site for the specialty food store.

While we love the idea of Trader Joe's in Poughkeepsie, I think the location might actually be a little too large for a Trader Joe's. Another rumor that Wal-Mart might be looking to come into the building seems slightly more plausible. The closest Wal-Mart to Poughkeepsie is down in Fishkill. That's not exactly convenient for shoppers living in the middle of Dutchess County.

Scott Olson/Getty Images
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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What may not bode well for Wal-Mart moving in to the South Hills Mall is that there is already a pretty busy grocery store on the property. Shop-Rite is already a tenant in the mall, making it unlikely that Wal-Mart could include a supermarket, which is very common in most of their New York locations. Excluding a grocery store, the Kmart location might actually be too small for a Wal-Mart, which depends on massive inventory and floor space.

There were also rumors that Caldor was planning a big comeback. The department chain that went bankrupt in the 90s was said to be rebranding themselves and planning a 2015 return. The South Hills Mall would be a perfect size and location, but at this point rumors of Caldor's comeback haven't really turned out to be much more than talk.

For now, we'll just have to keep guessing what will eventually become of the soon-to-be-empty store in the South Hills Mall. If you have any ideas of what you'd like to see happen to the space, we'd love to hear about it. What store do you think should take over the old Kmart location? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page or in the comments section below.

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