Sears Closing 30 Stores

[pseudo3d]

The first Kmart opened in March 1962 in Garden City, MI. I am guessing at 55 years of operation, perhaps through various lease extensions, the lease is up so they are closing it. The timing seems just right.

I had read somewhere on one of the old retail circles that I once haunted that the first Kmart was originally a S.S. Kresge store, and that the old wooden floor was below the tiles. If this isn't it, some other early Kmart store...but if that WAS true, then does that mean that the lease is older?

I don't believe Garden City was an SSK store. It is far too large to have been; most SSK stores were 10k or less. Garden City is huge; over 80k. The floor is concrete underneath; there is an article about its demise today:

World's first Kmart dying from Neglect

I found it, it was a reply to a Labelscar comment. Well, even it isn't true, the store does look like it expanded once or twice in its long life (and those expansions certainly would've been concrete)

[norcalriteaidclerk]

Im surprised no Sears in California are closing. There are some stores that seem to be on their deathbed.

Also, I wouldn't be shocked if there are stores that are closing not listed. This happened last year. Never saw the Kmart in City Of Commerce on any list and all of a sudden *poof* its closing and closed. Still never made any list. I keep hearing the Carson Kmart is closing but haven't seen it on the list.

At this rate,we could see the Golden State start losing namesake Sears stores(at least 2 Bay Area locations have closed in the past few years).While I've never been there,I consider the 1967-era South Sacramento store very vulnerable considering that its parent center(was Florin Mall,now Florin Towne Centre)was de-malled and redeveloped years ago.Don't know how much longer it can coexist in the same center with both a W**m**t Supercenter and a Dollar Tree.Even the Sunrise Mall store in Citrus Heights looks safer at this point,despite that mall's struggles with keeping traditional mall-type stores.

[storewanderer]

Sunrise Mall Sears is solid and a well stocked, well merchandised store that actually seems to have pretty good traffic. A real contrast from the Reno Sears... I don't know what happened here.

I think Florin Sears previously survived due to being in a large trade area and hardlines sales that were taking place for that large trade area; things like new appliances for various new development in South Sacramento/Elk Grove over the years likely gives the store some pretty strong historical sales data; also that is not exactly "hot real estate" so less likely there is resale value. This is the same sort of logic that left that old Stockton Blvd. Kmart as one of the last ones left in Sacramento area despite it never getting a "Big Kmart" remodel and sporting the old teal/red K m a r t logo up until just a few years ago and despite many 1990's stores in suburbs closing. Combined with the Florin area once being a shopping hub but losing so many stores, but there is still some demand in that area for a department store as there are still many families in that area. Given the current state of Sears I would also question the health of the Florin Sears at this point.

[cathandler]

Here's something you don't see every day...
http://www.centralmaine.com/2017/03/19/ ... workplace/

[BillyGr]

Here's something you don't see every day...
http://www.centralmaine.com/2017/03/19/ ... workplace/

Actually, that's totally not surprising, seeing the types of people who are setting this up, and those planning to attend.

Having read the book about Sears around the mid 1970's - early 1980's timeframe (when they first started problems financially and having store closings), anytime prior to that those who worked for the company truly thought of it as a family. Many times they started there and never left, only moving from store to store (and even one area of the country to the next) and going from the bottom of the ladder up to the top of the company.
Also back then, not only did few leave on their own, even fewer were ever asked to leave (aka layoffs or firings), which probably was the reasoning behind some of their problems at the time.