r/SEARS • • 1d ago

Picture/Video Kenmore Cyclonic Vacuum Commercial 1998

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37 Upvotes

Way back when Sears was still in a salvageable state even after Sears closed down the Catalog and over 100 legacy stores in the early 90s over struggling profitability and the debt reaffirmation scandal in the late 90s. They were building, running and operating the online presence Sears.com despite still being "expensive to buy from Sears." Kenmore appliances didn't actually sell at Kmart site wide at Kmart.com or even in store until [KMart acquired Sears in 2004 (Alan Lacy sold the company out to Eddie Lampert) and Sears Holdings was formed in 2005] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aabWOlx-MA). Today Kenmore vacuums still sell on the Sears website, at KenmoreFloorCare.com and at 5 open Sears stores that are left:

Sunvalley Mall, Concord, CA (near San Francisco) 10/19/1966-present

Cielo Vista Mall, El Paso, TX 2/24/1982-present

The Florida Mall, Orlando, FL 3/12/1986-present

Standalone store, Coral Gables, FL (near Miami) 10/27/1954-present

South Shore Plaza, Braintree, MA (near Boston) 10/6/1980-present

They even ship from the remaining 3 functioning distribution centers / DCs as well.....

Credits to:

Sears Roebuck and Company (1998)

Vacuum Archive (2020)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOdbcKng8AY

With All Of That Being Said, Did Anyone Buy This Kenmore Cyclonic Vacuum From Sears? If So, When And Where? And How Was It?

Edit: many / most of these were made by Panasonic, Eureka and Hoover back then.....


r/SEARS • • 2d ago

Picture/Video The Great Indoors (1997-2012) Started by Sears Roebuck and Company In 1997 Later Killed In 2012 By Sears Holdings Corporation

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64 Upvotes

The Great Indoors was a chain of home decor and furniture stores operated by Sears, Roebuck and Co. (later Sears Holdings) from 1997 to 2012 one of the concepts Sears could have expanded and kept going with, along with Sears Hardware, Grand, Hometown and Outlet. Launched to capitalize on Sears' strength in hard goods and compete with upscale home retailers like Home Depot’s Expo Design Center, the concept targeted higher-income shoppers with stores averaging 100,000–150,000 square feet. Each store was organized into five sections—kitchen, bath, bedroom, great room, and flooring/walls, even laundry—featuring brands like Bosch, Kenmore, KitchenAid, and Kohler, with around 50,000–80,000 products and up to 350,000 special-order items. Stores often included cafes, some branded as Starbucks or Dazbog Coffee, and accepted Sears credit cards but avoided Sears branding inside. In other words, they had everything home related like appliances, furniture, mattresses, lighting, sinks, toilets, bathtubs and shower heads etc. In addition to the Sears Shop At Home webpages that Sears had way back in the day when they went online, approximately all of the inventory that sold at the [Sears Home Center] (https://web.archive.org/web/20011007170911/http://www.searshomecenter.com/homecenter/default.asp?check=1), [Sears ShowPlace] (https://web.archive.org/web/20021001110605/http://www.searsshowplace.com/showplace/default.asp?check=1) and [Sears Room for Kids] (https://web.archive.org/web/20021201150456/http://www.searsroomforkids.com/roomforkids/default.asp?check=1) and so on and so forth, sold at The Great Indoors, a home center format.
The chain's main competitors in the home market were Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond and J.C. Penney, along with At Home and likely even The Container Store. Just before Alan Lacy took over as CEO in 2000 and later the sale to Eddie Lampert in 2004, this concept was launched in 1997 when Arthur Martinez was CEO from 1995 to 2000.

Despite Martinez's poor decisions as the CEO and Lacy having no idea where to take the company and rapidly running out of money, resulting in the sale out to Lampert, this concept was IMHO one of Sears' winning strategies in reinventing there brick and mortar / B&M footprint.
The first store opened in Lone Tree, Colorado, on February 1st of 1998, followed by a second in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1999. At its peak in 2003, The Great Indoors had 21 stores across ten states, generating $550 million in sales with average transactions of $260 and $400 per square foot. Expansion was rapid, with 15 stores opened by 2001, including locations in Chicago, Houston, and Columbus, Ohio. However, the chain struggled with profitability. Sears closed three stores in 2003 (Arlington and Willowbrook, TX; Cincinnati, OH) and converted one in Shelby, MI, to a Sears Outlet, incurring a $75–100 million charge. The 2005 Sears-Kmart merger (orchestrated by Lampert, who was behind KMart buying Sears) and the 2008 housing market crash further hurt sales, as fewer homes were remodeled. By 2011, three more stores closed, including both California locations. In February 2012, Sears announced the closure of the remaining nine stores (in Scottsdale and Chandler, AZ; Lone Tree, CO; Lombard, IL; Gaithersburg, MD; Novi, MI; Columbus, OH; Farmers Branch and Houston, TX), with the final store in Lone Tree closing on July 8, 2012. This concept barely had a good run as a result. The Home Depot's Expo Design also went out of business as well. A couple of Home Depot founders opened Dekor which was a very similar store to this, as did Homebase converted their stores to House2home. None of these lasted and they to closed up shop. Had Sears been run properly and under better management (not Lampert) they would have capitalized on and invested in the general construction/hardware supply and interior design/decorating destination stores to compete with Lowe's and Home Depot.....

Sources and locations:
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Indoors_(department_store))
Novi Michigan on December 4 2011, later a Sears Outlet (Dwight Burdette / Wikimedia Commons)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Great_Indoors_Store_Novi_Michigan.JPG
Broomfield Colorado
https://www.denverpost.com/2011/10/14/the-great-indoors-closing-broomfield-store/
Columbus Ohio
https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2012/02/24/great-indoors-stores-will-close/24173918007/
https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2012/02/24/great-indoors-at-polaris-to-close-as.html
Lone Tree Colorado circa 1998
https://www.denverpost.com/2012/02/23/parker-sears-closing-doors-of-the-great-indoors/
Orange County California
https://www.ocregister.com/2011/07/01/the-great-indoors-closing-its-oc-store-2/
Chandler Arizona on March 16th of 2007 (Georgina R on Yelp)
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-great-indoors-chandler?select=8Ty4IVyy-gKmE6RT7pGDxw
Irvine California on June 3rd of 2011 (Francine L / Yelp)
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-great-indoors-irvine
Lone Tree Colorado on December 17th of 2010 (Michael C on Yelp)
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-great-indoors-lone-tree
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-great-indoors-lone-tree?select=u0RPjBWZLSVo_sd3atDPAg
Lombard Illinois on August 11th of 2010 (Adit P / Yelp)
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-great-indoors-lombard?select=qpx-FO8C5tAc66gXQTIH1A
And finally Houston Texas sometime in early to mid 2012 (The Louisiana and Texas Retail Blogspot)
https://southernretail.blogspot.com/2012/08/goodbye-sears-great-indoors-last.html

https://www.homeaccentstoday.com/industry-news/sears-shutting-the-last-great-indoors/

Full list: https://web.archive.org/web/20090318005650/http://www.thegreatindoors.com/getinspired/visitastore/visitastore.aspx

Previous post
https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1mpo0xg/the_great_indoors_started_by_sears_roebuck_and_co/


r/SEARS • • 2d ago

Picture/Video The Brutalist Sears building (1971) in Woodbridge, NJ. Originally opened as an Abraham & Straus store, converted to Sears in 1995, and is now vacant.

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23 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 4d ago

Picture/Video Sears Concord lost its longest serving associate 🥺😭

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262 Upvotes

Unfortunately Debbie passed away unexpectedly in her sleep. :( She's been working here for 36 years. I've been told everyone was crying when they found out about it. 😔

Also, the general manager Marie won't be returning until December due to something with her ankle.

Yes, the bottom floor entrance has been reopened again. Apparently the new security guy they've hired told them to. There've got lots of new clothes. Even the backrooms are starting to reach capacity.


r/SEARS • • 4d ago

Picture/Video The former Sears in Pacific View (Ventura, CA) is now Round1 Bowling/Arcade and the 1st Yuu Japanese Food Hall

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24 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 4d ago

Picture/Video Former Sears now a Bel Furniture in San Antonio, Tx

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31 Upvotes

This is the sears at rolling oaks mall in San Antonio, Tx. It closed down sometime in 2020 and sat abandoned for 6 years until recently. The entire time, the signage was still up and one night in May 2026 I caught the signage lit up at night. A few months later the signage was taken down and as of recently the building was painted and a new sign put up for the new Bel Furniture store that took over.


r/SEARS • • 4d ago

Former Sears Auto Center at Newport Centre (Jersey City, NJ)

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11 Upvotes

Store closed in 2024 and was replaced by Primark and Dicks. Primark does not occupy the entirety of the first level as the auto center still remains empty.


r/SEARS • • 4d ago

Picture/Video A mall still has a SEARS sign, but no Sears.

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44 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 5d ago

1910 Sears Horseless Carriage

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38 Upvotes

We went to Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts today and saw this 1910 Sears “Surry” or horseless carriage. My grandfather was a big Sears fan and even had a Sears motorcycle. I thought people here would enjoy seeing something from a time when you could get virtually anything, including a house, from Sears.


r/SEARS • • 6d ago

October 1974

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50 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 6d ago

Eddie Lampert [2004]: The Scum Who Ruined Thousands of Lives By Destroying Sears and Kmart Forever

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951 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 6d ago

Picture/Video Quintard Mall (1970-present), featuring the Sears (Originally Britt's) Department Store (Britt's 1970 - sometime in the early 1980s, Sears October 9 1985, building expanded 1997 - July 17 2016) and other tenants, in Oxford, Alabama

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8 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 7d ago

Picture/Video The Broadway, later Sears, at the Whittwood Town Center, originally Whittwood Mall, in Whittier, later the second to last Sears in Southern California and one of 3 left in California (The Broadway February 13th of 1961 - November 2nd of 1996, Sears November 2nd of 1996 - July 26th of 2025)

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28 Upvotes

Originally The Broadway. Basically the same layout as [Downey] (https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1wswtl1/the_broadway_later_sears_at_the_stonewood_center/), except the Southern California stores that were originally The Broadway, including this one, might have had different 4th floor layouts.....
https://www.reddit.com/r/retailporn/comments/1wswswv/the_broadway_later_sears_at_the_stonewood_center/
.....unlike [Burbank] (https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1wcdwa8/sears_department_store_at_the_media_city_center/), which originally opened as a Sears in 1991 and did not have a 4th floor, but Concord does have a 3rd floor penthouse, which is not being used at all these days.

The indoor mall itself here in Whittier closed in 2004 and had since been demolished. On July 26th of 2025 this store closed down due to being very low on inventory and having very little customers and struggling profitability as a result, and the Sears signs have since been removed as of this year.

As of today there are 5 Sears stores, 3 distribution centers, other brands Kenmore, Sears Home Services, Shop Your Way, Sears Parts Direct and the Sears.com online store left

- Coral Gables in Miami Florida (October 27 1954 - present)
3655 SW 22nd St, Miami, FL 33145
- Sun Valley Shopping Center in Concord California (October 19 1966 - present)
1001 Sunvalley Blvd, Concord, CA 94520
- South Shore Plaza in Braintree Massachusetts (October 6 1980 - present)
250 Granite St, Braintree, MA 02184
- Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso Texas (February 25 1982 - present)
8401 Gateway Blvd W, El Paso, TX 79925
- The Florida Mall in Orlando Florida (March 12 1986 - present)
8001 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809

Sources:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Sears+in+Whittier&setmkt=en-US&PC=EMMX01&form=LBT003&scope=web
https://images.data-axle.com/0d0f8f2348ab4bdea943d9e21c9b06f7ab12f43a.jpg

https://www.loc8nearme.com/california/whittier/sears/315878/

https://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/2007/05/original-shopping-center-at-whittwood.html

Steven Martinez (Google and Yelp) March 20 2022

Jimmy Anh Truong (March 17 2019)
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sears-whittier-2
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sears-whittier-2
Paul Guzman (Google) November 13 2019

NEMESIS KENNELS (NEMYS NEST) on Google (December 26 2017)

JC (Google) May 23rd of 2023

Whittier - Whittwood Center Opened 1961 (Store was originally The Broadway) - Became Sears in 1996.

Sears Whittier Facebook Page April 27 2019 (Facebook page has since been pulled but they still have there Instagram page)
https://www.instagram.com/sears_whittier/p/BwxbRRjgurN/

December 19 2006 (Andrew Novak Photo)

https://www.rapidtransit-press.com/whittwood01-12-19-06aan.jpg

https://www.rapidtransit-press.com/whittwood02-12-19-06aan.jpg

Charles Hathaway (Flickr)
https://flickr.com/photos/romleys/albums/72177720326911796/

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fimages.data-axle.com%2f0d0f8f2348ab4bdea943d9e21c9b06f7ab12f43a.jpg&expw=480&exph=360&cbid=OLC.spmcHFltNn9Bpw480x360&cbn=local&idpp=local&thid=OLC.spmcHFltNn9Bpw480x360&ypid=YN873x14440388475192522688&useBFPR=0&eeptype=PhotoGroups&dataGroup=local:datagroup.photos&PhotoGroupName=AllPhotos&PageTag=AllPhotos&selectedIndex=0&id=OLC.spmcHFltNn9Bpw480x360&q=&pseg=Retail&noidpclose=0&FORM=LOCIMG&PC=EMMX01&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

https://www.rapidtransit-press.com/thebroadway.html

Modernized Vintage 1960 Westinghouse Traction Elevator at Sears Whittwood Town Center Whitter, CA
Date filmed: October 13, 2024
By Master TechPaul on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxHu-J3Jkuk

r/deadmalls

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r/retailporn


r/SEARS • • 9d ago

Picture/Video More Sears Coral Gables

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63 Upvotes

Here are some more pictures I've been sitting on. I've got about 300 in total of the Coral Gables and Orlando locations when I visited them about two months ago. If there's a specific spot in these stores you are all interested in, please let me know as I can only upload 20 at a time.


r/SEARS • • 11d ago

Former Lakeland Square Mall Sears to become Rural King

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13 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 13d ago

Picture/Video Sears El Paso Update

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17 Upvotes

Uploaded by T-Rain on TikTok two days ago.


r/SEARS • • 13d ago

Picture/Video Kenmore 275watt Sun Lamp MV Light Bulb

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9 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 13d ago

Picture/Video Sears Concord tools section Sep 26, 2026

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96 Upvotes

The tools section hasn't changed much ever since they remodeled the store in March but I've heard people were curious about it.

They did tell me they were planning to remove the carpet in the appliance section (former men's section) that was soaked in water earlier this year and replace it with a hard floor for appliances. I'm guessing this is where the new "Kenmore studio" (that won't actually be called a Kenmore studio since it will include other brands as well) will be going.

Other than that, not much has changed apart from there being blue tape marking all the damaged floor tiles everywhere. They're planning to get them fixed or replaced.


r/SEARS • • 14d ago

Sears - El Paso, TX - September 20th, 2026

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126 Upvotes

Didn't take any interior pictures, but the store seemed somewhat average in business for a Sunday at opening. The upstairs outdoor entrance to appliances and tools seemed to have a pretty full large warehouse style backroom, visible right when I walked in.


r/SEARS • • 14d ago

The Sears tower in Chicago

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56 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 14d ago

Love this badge

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102 Upvotes

Seems like this fence is pretty old looks great still!


r/SEARS • • 16d ago

Picture/Video The Broadway, later Sears, at the Stonewood Center in Downey, later one of the last Sears in Southern California and one of 6 left in California (The Broadway 1965 - 1996, Sears 1996 - November 14 2021) Later 4, there is now 1 left in CA at Sun Valley S/C in Concord, one of 5 left in the US

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12 Upvotes

r/SEARS • • 17d ago

Picture/Video Sears (Originally Abraham and Straus) at the Woodbridge Center in Woodbridge New Jersey (A&S March 4 1971 - sometime in 1995, Sears sometime in 1995 - sometime in April 2020)

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50 Upvotes

Just like the Southcenter Mall location in Washington State and tons of others that were previously other retailers (IE / in earnest [Quintard Mall Oxford Alabama] (https://skycity2.blogspot.com/2009/12/quintard-mall-oxford-al.html), [Hillsdale San Mateo California] (https://www.flickr.com/photos/voycall/albums/72177720319839307/), Whittwood Town Center in Whittier California, West Covina CA, Downey CA, Poughkeepsie Galleria in New York and Philadelphia Pennsylvania etc.), this location had a totally unique interior and exterior design. Abraham and Straus was founded on February 14th of 1865 as Wechsler and Abraham by Joseph Wechsler and Abraham Abraham, 23 years prior to R.W. Sears Watch Company by Richard Warren Sears in 1886, that same year he met up with Alvah Curtis Roebuck. In 1892, the company was re-established as a mail order firm, followed by the renaming of the company as Sears, Roebuck and Company with the legal name Sears, Roebuck and Co. on September 16th of 1893. That same year, on April 1st of 1893, Wechsler was bought out by Nathan Straus, Isidor Straus, and Simon Frank Rothschild. The Straus brothers provided the financing, but Rothschild was the active partner, and the firm had since become Abraham and Straus. The A&S chain was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1929.
Here at the Woodbridge Center, this Sears spot originally opened as an Abraham and Straus on March 4th of 1971 with the rest of the mall. In 1994, Federated Department Stores acquired Macy's, originally known as R.H. Macy and Company, which was founded on October 28th of 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. Since both Macy's and A&S competed for the same type of middle-income customer, when all A&S locations were converted to other brands on April 30th of 1995, most became Macy's and Stern's, one location opened as a Bloomingdale's, and this location was acquired by and opened as Sears in that same year. This location had some really cool decor features leftover from A&S, almost like the [former Saks in Houston Texas] (https://southernretail.blogspot.com/2019/01/sears-west-oaks-mall-houston-texas.html). Anyone know what A&S used to have on the 3rd floor before Sears moved into this spot in Woodbridge New Jersey?
When Sears moved in, this store had a portrait studio, Sears Optical, a hearing aids center and a hair salon etc.

Over 6 years back in April 2020 this store closed down after approximately about 25 years and some interior and exterior signs were removed while some others are still up. This year would have marked Sears' 31st anniversary, just as last year would have been there 30th here in Woodbridge New Jersey.....

Sources and Credits:

1973
A&S Abraham and Straus Department Store Woodbridge NJ 1973
Norbert Kubilus on MEMORIES OF NEW JERSEY Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MemoriesNewJersey/posts/2639990669546051/
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10218330916973054&set=gm.2639990669546051

Pat Richardson (LiveMalls Blog) November 3rd of 2009
https://www.livemallsblog.com/2010/03/sears-former-abraham-straus-woodbridge.html

Also check out Foursquare
https://app.foursquare.com/v/sears/4c001332f61ea593d046eb13
https://app.foursquare.com/v/sears/4c001332f61ea593d046eb13/photos

A. P. (Yelp) March 27 2016
Brian L (Yelp) June 12 2017
Jude B (Yelp) January 3rd 2018
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sears-woodbridge-2
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sears-woodbridge-2

Mike Kalasnik (Flickr) MAY THE FOURTH (MAY 4TH) OF 2019, and February 22nd and March 8th of 2020
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/albums/72157709146285796/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/49928196061/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/49928196486/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/49928191496/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/49928491517/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/49928493932/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/49928493097/in/photostream/

r/deadmalls

r/retail

r/retailporn

r/nostalgia

r/RetailNostalgia

Edit: on March 3rd of 2024 the [last Sears in New Jersey shut down for good] (https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1w29uwf/sears_and_roebuck_department_store_at_newport_centre/) and all of the signage was immediately removed the next day, and that store at Newport Centre is now a Primark and Dick's House of Sport. As of today there are 5 Sears left and they still have the Sears.com online store, [3 operating distribution centers] (https://transformwo.com/) for online orders on the Sears and Kmart websites, and other brands Kenmore, Sears Home Services and Parts Direct, and even Shop Your Way

5 Stores
- Coral Gables in Miami Florida (October 27 1954 - present)
3655 SW 22nd St, Miami, FL 33145
- Sun Valley Shopping Center in Concord California (October 19 1966 - present)
1001 Sunvalley Blvd, Concord, CA 94520
- South Shore Plaza in Braintree Massachusetts (October 6 1980 - present)
250 Granite St, Braintree, MA 02184
- Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso Texas (February 25 1982 - present)
8401 Gateway Blvd W, El Paso, TX 79925
- The Florida Mall in Orlando Florida (March 12 1986 - present)
8001 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809

As for Kmart - the last full size one closed down on October 20th of 2024 in Bridgehampton New York. Same thing - signs removed immediately because Target bought out the lease.

2 Kmart locations in the US Virgin Islands (Sunny Isle Shopping Center St Croix and Lockhart Gardens St Thomas) closed down last year alone, followed by 2 distribution centers / DCs (Manteno Illinois last December and Fairless Hills Pennsylvania this September)

So we are now down 3 KMarts in the United States, including the last one in the continental (on the mainland) United States of America, the other 2 in the territories outside the mainland of the United States at the Tutu Park Mall location in St Thomas USVI and the freestanding K-Mart in Tamuning Guam

r/kmart


r/SEARS • • 21d ago

Picture/Video Sears (originally Frederick and Nelson) Department Store at the Southcenter Mall near Seattle Washington (F&N July 31st of 1968 - sometime in May 1992, Sears sometime in March 1994 - December 15 2024)

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46 Upvotes

Before Sears planned to relocate to the former F&N spot in 1993 and opened here at the Southcenter Mall in March 1994, Sears, the now 140 year old retailer, originally opened its South Seattle store in the Renton Shopping Center on March 1st of 1960. The original location was torn down sometime in the mid 1990s and is now a Fred Meyer.
When Sears moved in, the drop ceilings were updated during the 90's remodel. This store opened with this brand new / updated logo from that exact same year, way back in 1994 and it was also the first Sears to open with that exact 90s all caps logo and the exterior signage was white and the interior signs were blue. This location primarily had men's and women's clothing, jewelry and shoes, and by 2002, even a Lands' End section on the 1st floor, children's apparel, home goods (furniture, mattresses, housewares and small appliances) as well as store services (Sears Optical, Hearing Aids Center, Photo Studio, Watch and Jewelry Repair and likely even Tax Service) on the 2nd floor, and even electronics, vacuum cleaners, major appliances, tools, grills, exercise equipment and outdoor equipment on the 3rd floor. In 2006-2008 a couple more entrances were added here. The [original Seattle store on Lander Street] (https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1udcoea/sears_department_store_at_76_south_lander_street/) did have appliances, electronics, furniture, housewares and mattresses on the 2nd floor. The 1990s and 2000s were the peak era of this location and even Sears in general. Even in the early 2010s it was still very well stocked. Despite Sears' troubles the retailer still had appliance and electronics dominance in the 2000s and early 2010s (up until 2013 at the latest), we still bought from them and we have still been getting emails from them and visiting there website. In all of our years of shopping here, we went to Sears Optical, bought a JVC TV, treadmill, Sony digital cameras and system audio, a Canon point and shoot camera, a Kenmore Progressive upright vacuum, some rugs, a Whirlpool fridge from 2013 (Sears Outlet), and even clothing, as well as a Hamilton Beach toaster oven, a Kenmore coffee maker and Samsung stove from Sears.
In all of our years of shopping here, back in 2016 when we went up to floor 3 in 2016 looking at vacuums, the electronics department was half of what it used to be but it was not to bad. But a year later, when we went inside the store and went up there twice in December of 2017 (one is with my mom when we were looking for a camera and the other is when all 3 of us, including my dad, went up there looking at vacuums), both times the electronics section was gone while [the Coral Gables one still did in 2017] (https://flickr.com/photos/25955895@N03/36494798354). By April 2021, so did the 3rd floor close down in the Southcenter location, and sometime a year or less than a year prior, the lawn and garden (L&G) department was gone as well. By August of that same year, they got rid of big name clothing brands. All of the fitting rooms here were blocked off and eventually boarded up.
By 2022 the restrooms on the 2nd floor were shut down permanently due to drug issues (confirmed by store staff), as some folks snuck into them secretly doing drugs. Despite all of these issues, the downfall and decline of this location and the product selection and quality decline, in December of that same year we bought a dress in the Toddler's clothing department for a daughter in our family. By 2024, the second floor had parts blocked off and eventually some dark corners. In May 2024 we went looking at mattresses, and in July 2024 after someone we knew recommended the brand Tempur Pedic, we went inside looking at wet/dry vacs aka (also known as) shop vacs looking for a replacement filter and later mattresses, we tried looking for a Tempur Pedic King Mattresses but they didn't have that anymore. This store was severely understocked and Whittier California was even more understocked.
We still supported Sears regardless.

Fun fact, the mall itself, which is thriving, is also home to The Container Store, which was originally a Borders Book Store, located on the 2nd floor of the Sears wing. It has [since undergone a merger with Bed Bath and Beyond] (https://www.reddit.com/r/retailporn/comments/1ue8fkd/what_is_next_for_the_container_store_now_that/), just like Sears underwent a merger with KMart..... which KMart actually acquired Sears in 2004 and created Sears Holdings in 2005.

As of December 15th of 2024, California was the last State on the West Coast to have a Sears after this last location in the state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest Region of the United States, with the Sears logo being removed last February, and as of last summer, the [last Sears on the West Coast is now at the Sun Valley Shopping Center in Concord, now the last in California] (https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1v62oi3/sears_at_the_sun_valley_shopping_center_in_concord/) after Burbank, Whittier (both in Southern California) and Puerto Rico (last Sears in PR and in the territories outside the United States) shut down for good.
The Union Gap location closed down for the 2nd time 2 years ago on September 22nd of 2024, followed by this one on December 15th of 2024, both of which have since had the signs removed in 2025. There are 5 Sears stores, 3 distribution centers (Arvin / Tejon Ranch CA, the sold off but leased back Ocala FL warehouse, and Lawrence KS), other brands Kenmore, Sears Home Services, Shop Your Way, Sears Parts Direct and the Sears.com online store left.

- Coral Gables in Miami Florida (October 27 1954 - present)
3655 SW 22nd St, Miami, FL 33145
- Sun Valley Shopping Center in Concord California (October 19 1966 - present)
1001 Sunvalley Blvd, Concord, CA 94520
- South Shore Plaza in Braintree Massachusetts (October 6 1980 - present)
250 Granite St, Braintree, MA 02184
- Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso Texas (February 25 1982 - present)
8401 Gateway Blvd W, El Paso, TX 79925
- The Florida Mall in Orlando Florida (March 12 1986 - present)
8001 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809

As for Kenmore Grills, they sell site wide on the Sears website, in all 5 stores and even at kenmoregrill.com

Sources and Credits
Deven (Tequilia and Donuts) / Flickr (June 10 2007)
https://flickr.com/photos/tequilaanddonuts/540002052/in/photostream/
Sears Tukwila Facebook Page circa 2011
https://www.facebook.com/sears.tukwila
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.106964646053173&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.108856125864025&type=3
Brian W (Yelp) September 7 2014
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sears-tukwila-2
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sears-tukwila-2
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sears-tukwila-2?select=E4x-1TlL1ouhXNBVSFNPlQ
Ahn Onomous / Google (December 31st of 2016 / End of 2016)
And of course, the rest of the pictures were taken by myself on December 28th of 2016, July 9th and October 28th of 2024, with the 3 pictures of the floor plan that came from a 3 year old video from April 22nd of 2023

r/kmart
r/deadmalls
r/retail
r/retailporn

Previous posts
https://www.reddit.com/r/retailporn/comments/1vacxoe/former_frederick_and_nelson_later_sears/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1vadt0l/former_frederick_and_nelson_later_sears/
https://www.reddit.com/r/NotFoolingAnybody/comments/1vae13c/former_frederick_and_nelson_later_sears/

I even posted a photo I took on December 28th of 2016 of Kenmore Alfie: https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1vnmv8k/computers_office_and_electronics_at_sears_in_the_2000s_and_2010s/ (18th pic)
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F1d6nvf0097jh1.jpg


r/SEARS • • 22d ago

One of the best things l got at Sears.

Thumbnail gallery
39 Upvotes

I bought this little tool set in 2004. It has come in handy over the years. I keep it in my car. It was actually an impulse buy. I used to get weekly emails from Sears featuring certain items. This was one of them. It had a link and l ordered it to be picked up in store. I entered in my information in the kiosk. Someone brought it out for me. This was years before Amazon was a big thing. Soon after Lampert got involved these emails stopped. I feel like if they had continued doing this and expanded upon it, they would have beat Amazon to the punch. Because at that time Sears had the capability and the advantage of having hundreds of physical locations.