More Kmart stores closing

[Big John]

Funny that they called the La Crosse WI store address as US Highway 16.

[thenetwork]

FINALLY!!! They are closing the Sears at Mesa Mall, Grand Junction, CO.  Considering they could've partnered with a Funeral Home and nobody would've noticed over the last few years...

Not to worry, we still have a Sears Outlet in town, and there are some Sears Hometown stores still treading water around Western Colorado.

[Flint1979]

I truly believe that I stepped foot inside the Sears location at Genesee Valley Mall in Flint, Michigan for the last time the other day. I entered the mall through the Sears store so I walked across the store twice. Pretty much everything is gone and cleared in just about every area of the store. I didn't go upstairs while I was there but that's probably about as empty as the first floor. It'll be strange that there will no longer be a Sears location in Flint in a city that still has two JCPenney locations, one in Genesee Valley Mall and one in Courtland Center that I'm kind of surprised hasn't closed yet that side of Flint has lost several stores. Courtland is actually in Burton but it's right across the street from the Flint/Burton border and really isn't a large mall only 460,000 square feet but has at least 20 vacant storefronts and is basically used by mall walkers.

[jp the roadgeek]

And then there were 2 in CT.  Milford about to bite the dust.  It's in an area of town far away from the Post Mall.  Last time I was in there a couple years ago it looked like it had been hit by a tornado.  The two survivors are Vernon (remodeled to the Big K concept), and the famed relic in Watertown that just had its vintage signage replaced recently.  I've also been to the Newark, DE one that is closing (the one in Bear was nicer, relatively speaking).   

[Flint1979]

I personally wouldn't care if the Sears in Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw closed but it would leave that mall with a vacant anchor which right now it has no vacant anchors. They've closed two other Sears stores in the Tri-Cities (Midland and Bay City) and are closing the one in Flint. If Saginaw does close then I believe Lansing would be the nearest Sears store.

Lansing's Sears isn't in a mall though. Lansing has two malls (Meridian and Lansing Mall) and the Sears is about halfway in between them. Lansing Mall lost Macy's and Younker's leaving just JCPenney as the lone anchor and Meridian lost Younker's which will leave two vacancies since one is the Home and Furniture store. They had this in the Bay City Mall too moving their Home and Furniture store in the Sears vacancy. Bay City Mall will also have JCPenney as their lone anchor and JCPenney pulled out of Midland Mall, that mall only has a Target left as an anchor now. JCPenney seems to do ok in Courtland Center where it's really the only anchor but they consider Dunham's Sports, JoAnn Fabrics and Staples as anchors too and I really don't see how those stores are mall anchors.

An odd thing in Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw. Once in awhile I've been going to the mall about an hour before it closes just to walk around and the times I've been in there Macy's has been closing before the mall closes just doesn't make much sense. The Sears store in this mall is pretty dead to be honest, anytime I've walked through the store I only see employees.

[SP Cook]

Scott Depot, WV finally makes the list.  Place has been obviously going for some time, only about half the store has merchandise and large areas are filled with "new old stock" generations out of date unsold appliances and TVs from some forgotten corner of some warehouse, just to fill up space. 

As I stated up thread, place is next door to a Kroger which has not been updated in a long time.  My assumption is that Kroger will raze the K-Mart and build a modern store and sell the place next door to someone not in the grocery business.

The area will now have lost this K-Mart and regional chains Magic Mart (downscale) and Elder-Beerman (upscale) within 1 mile of each other in a six week period.   Leaving Wal-Mart as the only general retailer in the county.

[inkyatari]

Louis Joliet Mall still not on the list.

[Brandon]

Louis Joliet Mall still not on the list.

My only guess is that that Sears must still be making enough money somehow.  However, Sears is a ghost town when compared to JCPenney and Macy's in the mall.  I had to stand in a line, on a Tuesday evening, to make a purchase at Penney's.  The place was actually pretty busy for a Tuesday.

[ftballfan]

Scott Depot, WV finally makes the list.  Place has been obviously going for some time, only about half the store has merchandise and large areas are filled with "new old stock" generations out of date unsold appliances and TVs from some forgotten corner of some warehouse, just to fill up space. 

As I stated up thread, place is next door to a Kroger which has not been updated in a long time.  My assumption is that Kroger will raze the K-Mart and build a modern store and sell the place next door to someone not in the grocery business.

The area will now have lost this K-Mart and regional chains Magic Mart (downscale) and Elder-Beerman (upscale) within 1 mile of each other in a six week period.   Leaving Wal-Mart as the only general retailer in the county.

Kroger already has their gas stop in the corner of the Kmart parking lot in Scott Depot, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if Kroger were to build a new store on the site of the soon-to-be-former Kmart

[1995hoo]

I think the Sears at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax is the first Northern Virginia location to go.

[Brandon]

Another round of closures has been announced.

https://searsholdings.com/docs/082118-store_closing_list.pdf

Quite the list, actually.  A number of successful malls that Sears is in are on the list.  That tells me that Sears/Kmart is going downhill in a hurry.  Any bets on when they finally give it all up?

[jeffandnicole]

The only Sears in NJ on this list is at the Hamilton Mall, where US 40 & 322 meet up near AC.   This mall is a relative newcomer to the mall scene, built about 30 years ago.

[abefroman329]

I think the Sears at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax is the first Northern Virginia location to go.

Is the one at Landmark still open?

[LM117]

Another round of closures has been announced.

https://searsholdings.com/docs/082118-store_closing_list.pdf

Quite the list, actually.  A number of successful malls that Sears is in are on the list.  That tells me that Sears/Kmart is going downhill in a hurry.  Any bets on when they finally give it all up?

Agreed. The one that caught me by surprise is the one in Raleigh, NC at Crabtree Valley Mall. Crabtree is arguably the most successful mall in the whole Triangle metro, with The Streets at Southpoint in Durham being a very close second. Raleigh's other mall, Triangle Town Center, is bleeding tenants and yet that Sears still remains. The nearby Northgate Mall in Durham off of I-85 is the worst mall in the Triangle and that Sears survives too.

I give it 2 years at the most.

[1995hoo]

I think the Sears at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax is the first Northern Virginia location to go.

Is the one at Landmark still open?

Yes, and it's the only thing at that mall that remains open.

[abefroman329]

I think the Sears at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax is the first Northern Virginia location to go.

Is the one at Landmark still open?

Yes, and it's the only thing at that mall that remains open.

I'm so old, I used to get my car worked on at that Sears Auto, and rent cargo fans from the Budget location there.

[1995hoo]

I think the Sears at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax is the first Northern Virginia location to go.

Is the one at Landmark still open?

Yes, and it's the only thing at that mall that remains open.

I'm so old, I used to get my car worked on at that Sears Auto, and rent cargo fans from the Budget location there.

I've bought tires at that Sears Auto within the past ten years. My brother worked there as head of the loss prevention department about 20 years ago. I've bought appliances, tools, and even two neckties there (the latter were Miles Davis ties–my brother had one and I liked it, so I stopped by to get the same tie). I think the most recent purchase was our current laundry machine some six or seven years ago. The old one's bearings failed and the repair estimate was $580, but a new machine at Sears was $66, so it was an easy call.

WTOP confirms that Fair Oaks will be the first Northern Virginia Sears to close. I find it mildly interesting that the standalone location on Route 7 at Seven Corners, the one that used to be Lord & Taylor, is still open. Who knows for how long. Talk about a comedown: When I was a kid, there were three department stores located on either side of Route 7 there–Lord & Taylor on the west side, and Garfinckel's and Woodies anchored the mall on the east side. Lord & Taylor closed and it briefly became a Caldor (only one I ever knew of around here) before becoming Sears. Garfinckel's is now a Ross Dress for Less and Woodies is a Shoppers Food Warehouse. How the mighty have fallen. 

[US71]

I think Russellville is the last one in Arkansas, and it survives for another day

It is the only Arkansas location left.

Odd how it hasn't closed. I wonder if there's some quirky financial advantage (like taking it off their taxes)?

[Flint1979]

I think Russellville is the last one in Arkansas, and it survives for another day

It is the only Arkansas location left.

Odd how it hasn't closed. I wonder if there's some quirky financial advantage (like taking it off their taxes)?

And there's a Walmart Supercenter next door too. I'm surprised they haven't closed it yet.

[ET21]

Chicago Ridge and Woodfield for me are still holding on 

[Flint1979]

I see the Glenbrook Square Sears is closing in Fort Wayne. That Sears has been there as long as the mall has.

[Brandon]

Chicago Ridge and Woodfield for me are still holding on 

Still extant Sears department stores in Illinois (not including Sears Appliance & Hardware or dealer stores):

Chicago Ridge Mall
Woodfield
Louis Joliet Mall
Cherryvale (Rockford)
North Riverside Park Mall
Spring Hill Mall
Golf Mill Mall (where Sears is a walk-through between parts of the mall)
Stratford Square (how the hell is this still here!?!)
Northwoods Mall (Peoria)
St. Clair Square (Metro East)
Oakbrook Center (currently closed for reconfiguring - I suspect it may never reopen)

Of these, only three are outside the Chicagoland area.

[ftballfan]

Chicago Ridge and Woodfield for me are still holding on 

Still extant Sears department stores in Illinois (not including Sears Appliance & Hardware or dealer stores):

Chicago Ridge Mall
Woodfield
Louis Joliet Mall
Cherryvale (Rockford)
North Riverside Park Mall
Spring Hill Mall
Golf Mill Mall (where Sears is a walk-through between parts of the mall)
Stratford Square (how the hell is this still here!?!)
Northwoods Mall (Peoria)
St. Clair Square (Metro East)
Oakbrook Center (currently closed for reconfiguring - I suspect it may never reopen)

Of these, only three are outside the Chicagoland area.

Looks like Oakbrook is not reopening as it isn't on the Sears website

[inkyatari]

Chicago Ridge and Woodfield for me are still holding on 

Woodfield Sears sold or leased a bunch of space to NAMCO for the 257 Pac-Man themed arcade / restaurant.

[abefroman329]

Chicago Ridge and Woodfield for me are still holding on 

Woodfield Sears sold or leased a bunch of space to NAMCO for the 257 Pac-Man themed arcade / restaurant.

OT but Level 257 was such a disappointment when I finally went.