During the heyday of American consumerism, Sears reigned supreme as the largest retailer in the United States. Once, it had a staggering 3,500 brick-and-mortar stores scattered around the globe; today, they're down to fewer than you can count on one hand. According to multiple reports, as of June 2025, there were only eight retail Sears locations still in operation. However, that number has since dropped, and will do so again by the end of August.
Sears began in 1886 when Richard Sears began selling
gold watches for $14 each at a train station in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was joined the following year by watchmaker Alvah Roebuck, and the duo opened a mail-order watch and jewelry business in Chicago. In 1888, the first "Sears, Roebuck and Co." catalog was issued.
By 1894, the catalog had expanded to 322 pages, featuring a diverse range of items, including children's clothing and toys, bicycles, firearms, household appliances, and more. Sears founded world-famous brands such as Kenmore, DieHard, Craftsman, and even Allstate Insurance. Over time, their "Book of Bargains," affectionately referred to as the "Big Book" or the "Wish Book" by their loyal customers, grew to over 1,000 pages. It included over 100,000 items and sold virtually anything anyone could ever want -- tools, hardware, clothes, appliances, furniture, sporting goods, auto supplies, farm equipment, entertainment centers, and even house kits (starting in 1908) that came in 447 different designs.
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The Once Mighty Sears Seems Destined To Fade Away
In 2018, Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was sold to its former CEO, billionaire Eddie Lampert, founding Transformco to handle its brick-and-mortar stores. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hurt any comeback plans Lampert had in resuscitating the brand.
In July, three stores were still operating in California: Whittier, Burbank, and Concord. However, the Whittier location closed on July 26, and the Burbank store is set to close on August 31. There are no current plans to close the one at the Sun Valley Mall in Concord. Meanwhile, the 242,686-square-foot store at Plaza Las Americas in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which has been open for the last 53 years, will also close at the end of August.
As of this writing, Sears locations are still open in Braintree, Massachusetts, and at the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas. And for now, the two stores in Florida -- Miami and Orlando -- also remain open, but they appear destined to close eventually as well. According to Costar (a commercial real estate analytics and news platform), a 1,000-unit multifamily development is slated to be built at the Sears location at Searstown Plaza in Miami, while the Sears at the Florida Mall in Orlando is up for sale or lease, and according to Yelp comments, may in fact already be closed.
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