TUKWILA, Wash. — This story was originally published by MyNorthwest.com.
It truly marks the end of an era. Sears, a long-time provider of clothing, tools, and jewelry, is closing its last store in Washington. Only nine stores remain in the entire U.S.
The store at the Westfield Southcenter Mall in Tukwila that opened in 1994 will close on Dec. 15. Employees were told last week.
“Sears and Montgomery Ward — that’s pretty much where you shopped,” Kay Smith, 80, told The Seattle Times. “I blame it all on online shopping.”
Just days ago, the store was seen offering savings of 70%.
“Even 10 years ago, we knew it was only a matter of time before it was closing,” Frank Sumrall, a content editor at MyNorthwest, said about his first job. “I didn’t know that there were only nine stores left nationwide.”
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According to Britannica, Richard W. Sears established the R.W. Sears Watch Company in 1886. The following year, he moved the business from Minneapolis to Chicago, hired Alvah C. Roebuck to repair watches, and expanded into a mail-order business for watches and jewelry, releasing the first catalog in 1887.
After selling his business in 1889, Sears partnered with Roebuck again to start another mail-order venture, which became Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1893. In 1895, Julius Rosenwald, a wealthy clothing manufacturer, bought out Roebuck’s share and reorganized the business. Sears continued to write the company’s famous catalogs, and the business thrived by offering a wide range of affordable merchandise to rural areas with limited retail access. The introduction of rural free delivery in 1896 and parcel post in 1913 by the U.S. Postal Service allowed Sears to reach even the most remote customers. Rosenwald succeeded Sears as president in 1909.
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From 1920 to 1943, Sears owned Encyclopedia Britannica, selling it through their catalog. In 1924, Gen. Robert E. Wood joined Sears and led the company for the next 30 years. Recognizing the impact of automobiles on retail accessibility, Wood opened the first Sears retail store in Chicago in 1925. By 1931, retail sales had surpassed mail-order sales. The company prospered after World War II and remained the largest U.S. retailer until the 1980s.
In the 1980s, Sears diversified into real estate and financial services but began refocusing on its core retail operations by 1992, selling off subsidiaries. The general catalog was discontinued in 1993, and in 1995, Sears spun off its largest subsidiary, Allstate Corporation. Sears also offered repair services for automobiles and household items.
In 2005, Kmart purchased Sears for about $12 billion, forming Sears Holdings Corporation. Despite initial prosperity, sales at Kmart and Sears stores declined. In October 2018, Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In February 2019, a federal judge approved the sale of the holding company to Lampert’s hedge fund, ESL Investments, for $5.2 billion.
Once a dominant force with nearly 3,500 locations as recently as 2005, Sears continued to shrink until now, surviving on life support.
Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.
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