Du Bois Sears & Bluelight News Flash: General Sears Update

This is an oddball Sears for many reasons, though the biggest one of them is the fact that is still open. I don't mean to say this store should close, but the reason as to why I find it odd that it is still open is that this is now the only Sears store open in central rural Pennsylvania. It is also just one of two Sears stores open at or above the I-80 corridor; the other being Stroudsburg.

There are other reasons why this particular Sears store is odd. It sports a rarer red treatment for both its store exterior and logos and this location is dinky when compared to the typical Sears store size. Its footprint at only around 50,000 sq. ft. could be one reason why it still continues when all other rural PA stores have closed. 

I will say that it felt organized and well maintained, though the amount of mattresses here was quite a selection given the small store. And if I remember correctly, this store barely had a housewares and bed/bath department. It did appear though that Sears was using a storefront in the attached mall as a furniture department.

Hard to say what will come to this place, but for now it seems that Sears has seriously slashed the number of store closings. As of today, here's a list of the stores confirmed to be closing that weren't on a prior list. This includes Sears' last store in its hometown of Chicago.

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Sears:                                                                        
Tucson, AZ
Citrus Heights, CA
El Cajon, CA
Fairfield, CA
Roseville, CA
Gainesville, FL
Pensacola, FL                                                             
Cedar Rapids, IA                                                        
Chicago, IL (West Irving Park Rd)
Columbia, MO
Asheville, NC
Wilmington, NC
Reno, NV
Rochester, NY (Greece)
Boardman, OH
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Warrenton, VA

Kmart:
Brandon, FL
Saugus, MA
Brick, NJ

There is also some news going around about the auction of 16 Sears locations. These locations are not planned to be closed at this time. While these stores just became a whole lot more likely to close, this is essentially a lease-back situation to whoever buys the property for the moment. Sears still plans to operate all 16 profitable stores as of this time.

Kmart #3990

This month's Kmart tour takes a look at a former Grant City location in Williamsport, PA. This location no doubt has to be among Kmart's top stores as it is always busy everytime I visit. This location is also among my personal favorite Kmart stores as love that it has a history as another chain.

Updated cart corrals

There is one thing to mention before we go any further, this location was 'remodeled' in 2013. The remodel basically was nothing more then giving it a new decor package, the 'K' exterior sign and adding a Nathan's Famous restaurant in the former Grants restaurant area. Sadly, the Nathan's restaurant only lasted about three or four years before it was closed as you will see below.

Here's a map of the store I made when Nathan's was still in business:

Now we shall dive into the store properly. Photos below come from many different visits to this store over the last five years.

Bluelight Special!

A blank aisle directory sign

The '90s live on

The changes in Electronics

Moving into clothing:

I will conclude this post with a look at the space formerly occupied by Nathan's Famous which now is home to sportswear.