Here is the North Shepherd Sears a few months prior to closing while still in normal operation. This store sadly closed on August 30, 2020.
The rare Sears location to still have some electronics in 2020. A lot of these items were still around for the store closing sale.
I tried to save this sign during the closing sale. They wouldn't sell it to me.
Say what you want about the updated Sears logo. I really like it.
The former parts direct counter. The parts direct sign was taken off, but the LED Sears sign was still illuminated.
This location still had a good selection of tools. This was the only store with a good tool selection out of the four remaining stores in the Houston area at this point.
Package pickup area.
Months later, the Sears sign on the far right is part of my collection of Sears memorabilia.
From the looks of things, this store seemed to be in good condition. It was really a surprise when they pulled the plug just a few months later. The Pasadena store that lasted until January 2021 did not have nearly as much inventory as this store did.
A few months later when I needed one of these, they were all sold out, lol.
The closed off optometrist.
This was such a nice store despite being 70 years old. The employees here really cared about this store and did their best.
The burned out lights here in the back remained that way up until closing.
This sign is so awesome. That retro font!
The closed off portrait studio.
It was getting harder for them to stretch out the dwindling inventory here.
The former hearing aid booth.
Here is the stairway, straight up old school.
By 2020, all sales at Sears were a blowout event.
In the future, I will compile a huge post to say goodbye to this vintage Sears location. I visited the store every week except for one during the closing sale. I also recorded the final moments of the store with the final loudspeaker announcement.
These are some awesome photos of an awesome store, thanks for the post. I'm glad that you were able to get some photos of this store not too long before the liquidation sale started. It was around the time that you took these photos that we learned that the Willowbrook and Deerbrook Mall locations would be closing. I remember us having hope that this N. Shepherd store would remain, but it was on the closing list not too long later.
ReplyDeleteThe inventory at this location was quite a bit better than the inventory of other Houston Sears stores for at least the last few years. I'm not sure why that was. I remember this store having an abundance of Kmart brand tarps in around 2018, lol. They also had a department around that time dedicated to selling bleach and other pandemic supplies before there was even a pandemic. Granted, some other Sears locations had that as well.
But, yeah, even in the lead up to the first bankruptcy when inventory was getting thin at most Sears locations, this store was doing okay. They even had a little bit of electronics left as you were able to capture. Even before Sears eliminated their electronics departments, this location seemed to have more electronics than a lot of other locations.
Although this location was not nearly as vintage as the Main St. Sears, it was still quite vintage as one can clearly tell from the photos. It seemed like the store got a decent amount of business from the neighborhood around the store though. The store never seemed totally quiet the way some Sears stores felt towards the end.
I think the Sears Parts Direct department was still open during my last visit to this store, but maybe not. It was a good idea and they put some money into building that department, but it didn't last very long. It was worth trying to save that sign, but oh well. At least you were able to get the banner. That should make for a nice souvenir.
The loss of this store really sucks. As of a couple of weeks ago, it is still vacant. More spray paint is on the building and it appears that people have been sleeping outside of the building. For a company in a hurry to close a store for redevelopment, the next steps are not happening. At least the 1940's street sign is still up.
DeleteThanks for the update. It's interesting that some of these ex-Sears properties are just sitting around like this one, the Baybrook Mall one, and the Willowbrook Mall one. Granted, the state of the economy might have something to do with that at least as it relates to the Willowbrook and N. Shepherd locations, but the Baybrook location has been empty for quite some time now. I suppose that mall already just expanded so maybe there isn't great interest in doing anything with that old Sears right now. You're right that Sears picked a bad time to close some of these stores given the state of the economy and the low demand for more B&M retail.
DeleteSpeaking of Baybrook, Dick's Sporting Goods has opened a clearance store near their Baybrook location in the Kohl's shopping center near the Wal-Mart before the mall. I don't know if that's a permanent clearance store or just a temporary one. The main Baybrook Dick's Sporting Goods store can be seen from the parking lot of the clearance store. It's pretty close to it.
Baybrook Mall can get away with having the closed off Sears as it is barely visible from I-45. The new addition to the mall appears to be doing well.
DeleteI went back to the Baybrook area this weekend and saw the new Dick's store in the former Babies R Us location. I didn't get a chance to go inside because we had some other things to do, but maybe next time I will get a chance to visit.
I love that first image with the inflatable guy in front of the classic Sears sign! Nice coverage in the rest of the post too, looking forward to your future posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Retail Retell. I overdid my coverage of this store in the final weeks of business. It was a huge loss for our area.
DeleteAt the intersection of Highway 6 and FM 529, there are two GameStop locations that are really close to each other. I wonder how they both stayed open? Maybe for the same reason the two OfficeDepot locations in Humble are still open?
ReplyDeleteGamestop has a few of these locations around the US. Humble has a Gamestop in Deerbrook Mall and another one across FM 1960 in the Humblewood Shopping Center. I can see the company eliminating these locations in the near future.
DeleteI think the GameStop that is right on Hwy. 6 in the Sprouts/Total Wines shopping center used to be an EB Games. I don't know if that has anything to do with there being two GameStops so close together. It does appear that the GamesPlus across the street in the Barnes & Noble shopping center has closed. Oh well, there are no shortage of game stores in that area I suppose with the two GameStops and Half Price Books.
DeleteAs Je said, it's hardly unprecedented for there to be two GameStops very close together. Aside from the aforementioned Deerbrook Mall situation, there are also GameStops right across the freeway from one another in Pearland (one of them being in that outdoor mall there) and in Webster with one being in Baybrook Mall and the other in a shopping center right across I-45.
Also, as Je said, I would not be surprised to see some of these redundant GameStops close in the near future.
Speaking of Office Depots and closings, the Texas City Office Depot is currently in a liquidation sale. I'm not sure if any other Office Depots are closing as well.
A lot more Gamestop stores will probably close in the next year as the company continues to move towards online sales. A lot of malls with Gamestop stores also have a Thinkgeek location as well. A lot of the same products are sold at both stores.
DeleteI have seen a few videos online of other Office Depot/Office Max stores closing. Looks like they are quietly paring down locations again.