Here is a blast from the past. I figured this would be a good time to finally post this article about disappearing electronics departments at Sears. I am going to see what I can remember from these photos and give some commentary from April 2023, two years after the last Sears department store left the area. Sears Hometown made a brief come-back in late 2021, but by the Summer of 2022 those were gone as well. Dates of the photos are provided as known. I initially intended this to be a before and after article, but in many cases I was unable to document the departments as intended. Instead, this will serve as a simple documentation of the Sears electronics departments of the past.
Here is the Lufkin Sears as their electronics department was being eliminated. Store currently vacant except for the yearly Spirit Halloween pop-up.
Here is what the departments were eventually reduced to, small leftovers.
Now for Alexandria Mall in Alexandria Louisiana. We will see more of the same. Store currently vacant.
Empty video game cases. Video games were one of the first categories of electronic merchandise eliminated prior to the removal of most electronics from Sears stores. These photos are from Mall St. Vincent in Shreveport Louisiana. Store currently vacant.
Sears Pierre Bossier Mall, Bossier City Louisiana. Store currently vacant.
Sears Austin Texas, when electronics were still featured prominently at the 41st Street location even after the second floor was closed off. Store currently vacant.
And a view of the closed portrait studio across the aisle from the electronics.
An up-close view of the product aisles.
A random Xbox One in the case.
Mall of the Mainland, Texas City Texas. Replaced by World Gym.
Sears Broadway Square Mall, Tyler Texas. Replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods.
Sears Deerbrook Mall, Humble Texas. Store currently vacant with the exception of the yearly Spirit Halloween pop-up. I have a lot more to share from this old Sears location as this was my closest Sears department store.
Appliances later took over the former electronics department in the last couple of years the store was open. Here is the area just before they painted over the electronics department logos.
What the electronics department was later downsized to.
Anyone remember the Kenmore TV's, I certainly do.
And the last gasp....
Mall of the Mainland again, prior to the complete elimination of the department.
And one more time at Mall of the Mainland a few weeks later, almost gone!
Sears Post Oak, College Station Texas. Store mostly redeveloped into a Conn's Home Plus.
San Jacinto Mall Baytown Texas 2015. Store demolished, site currently under construction for new big-box shopping center development.
Sears Prien Lake Mall, Lake Charles Louisiana. The electronics department here was also very similar to the Woodlands Mall location. Store was demolished and the site is currently a grass lot.
The consolidation of the electronics department was slow here.
The video game cases here were pretty sad towards the end.
The Lake Charles Sears was built to be a competitor in the mid 1990's. Sadly, the store spent the last few years in business as an oversized behemoth with too much floor space once the electronics were phased out.
Sears Memorial City Mall Houston Texas. Similarly to what happened at the Deerbrook Sears with the electronics moving to an underused part of the store. Here is the downsized electronics department. Store was demolished and there is a redevelopment plan in place.
And the mattress section that replaced the old electronics department.
The same area after they repainted the walls.
Sears West Oaks Mall Houston Texas December 2015. Store currently vacant. This was one of the first Sears stores in the Houston area to eliminate their electronics department. The Sears in Pasadena also began eliminating their electronics department at around the same time.
Sears Willowbrook Mall Houston Texas December 2017. Store is currently vacant after Sears Hometown briefly reopened the store. These photos were taken after the glass partitions surrounding the area were removed.
Sears Baybrook Mall Webster Texas 2017. Store briefly reopened as a Overstock Mattress center and still hosts a yearly Spirit Halloween.
Sears Westwood Mall Houston Texas. Store redeveloped as a Momentum BMW dealership.
As for Sears in 2023, your choices of stores are pretty slim with just 17 locations remaining in the United States. Will we have a chance to visit one of them in 2023?
