The Last Sears Store in Illinois | A Final Store Tour of Sears at Woodfield Mall

[@concorde2003]

The optical center used to be a sit-down restaurant, by the way.

[@ERA_Productions]

A long time in the waiting, great video!

[@LostDepartments]

Thanks!!!!!

[@turtleislandlac1490]

I grew up with this Sears. It's funny I never liked going there as a kid, but shopped there for the nostalgia as an adult. Their Christmas stock was always a sight to see even up until I left the area in 2017 Suffered my only broken bone there when a power tool fell on my foot when I was 8. I remember when they had the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Kiosks where kids lined up to play in the 90s. Also saw Jennifer Love Hewitt there in 97 who was on her way to an appearance at Sam Goody/Musicland.

[@pghrpg4065]

My mother worked at Sears during most of my childhood in Pittsburgh. She worked in an office attached to a retail store. The store closed the office operations went to Hoffman Estates in 1992. The demise has been so slow and painful. It's a shame that we wouldn't know when the last time various Sears stores looked "normal" to have footage that isn't depressing.

[@TheTargetFandom]

I went to oakridge today we went to living spaces that sears used to be.

[@danielkegley690]

It's a sad end. It has been long and painful. I'm glad you documented the stores in Chicago land were Sears had been headquartered. It's the end of a store chain and an era of retail.

[@LostDepartments]

Thanks! I enjoyed doing this!

[@adamhendricks2337]

It’s always a good day when Lost Departments uploads a video. Great video thanks for sharing the last of its final days. Really sad to see such an iconic brand basically disappear. I remember shopping with my mom and grandma at the Sears in my home city, grateful to have grown up in an era when Sears was still doing pretty good in the 90’s. Have a great New Year!

[@LostDepartments]

Thank You!!!!

[@obamatriangle7914]

you should do a walkthrough of ikea in the Schaumburg area or wood field area

[@DalmationProductions]

Now I literally forgot when this closed (I have a bad memory for some reason)

[@LostDepartments]

November 14th, 2021

[@DalmationProductions]

@@LostDepartments ok thank you my apologies for bringing that up I literally forgot that Sears and Kmart were still operating in the country

[@Youser999]

Another great and important video! Bravo! 👏🏻 My Sears was the one at River Oaks. It has prominent history. Old Orchard and Oakbrook Center are sister malls developed by the same architect. Unfortunately the mall was enclosed in the 90s and over time the local economy floundered as well. So Old Orchard, which is still open air, is faring much better but River Oaks is still holding on somehow. Now I gotta see if you've done a video on it... A dozen or so years ago, I went to a conference located in the Sears corporate campus and it was massive! I remember even taking one of their shuttles to the train station when it was over. It's so hard to believe it'll be no more. We were more of a Montgomery Wards family growing up but Sears also had such an important history in the Chicagoland area. Merry Christmas and thanks for documenting this! Your videos keep getting better. Soon you'll be hobknobbing with the likes of Retail Archeology and Dan Bell.

[@LostDepartments]

Thanks for sharing!!!

[@trollzone1]

Fun fact up until that level 257 was built the old 1980s furniture store still existed exactly as it looked in the 80s. They just walled it off. We’d hang out in it as teenagers.

[@lilpellegrino6672]

The sad thing is that this location looks way more filled than mine, and mine is not having a going out of buisness sale

[@Yeen125]

As this was the “flagship” store, Sears simply sent the remaining merchandise from the other stores that had closed there.

[@kittyboochanyesbongono8467]

Nope, it did not went out of business, there's only a few stores left

[@NWIndianaElevators]

Great video! My prediction with Sears/Kmart is they are going to announce that all of the remaining stores will be liquidating once the New Years hit, and it will close the remaining locations within their fleet in March/April timeframe. The USVI Kmart stores will probably still be around, but they will be running under a different management.

[@LostDepartments]

Thanks!!! At this point, i've given predicting their official demise as right now the company is almost like a ghost of its former self.

[@Yeen125]

There’s also a Kmart in Guam that is doing decently well. Wouldn’t be surprised if it gets sold to new management, too.

[@jakelee7639]

I live ten minutes from the woodfield sears...what a shame, used to be a strong, healthy and respected company....if you think about it in the 70’s with their sears catalog if they had bright creative top management they could have brought that up to date and been like amazon....the catalog was the blueprint for browse hundreds of items, shop from home and doorstep delivery

[@MrKrakowian]

I hope a good store moves in. It is such a large store space.

[@davis6123]

Simon will find a good use. Woodfield is a high performing and desirable property.

[@Yeen125]

@@davis6123 I wouldn’t be surprised if Simon decides to tear down the store and build a mixed use area with apartments. Similar to what happened to the former Sears in nearby Hawthorn Mall.

[@concorde2003]

I had a hard time walking around with a camera here. I kept getting attacked by employees.

[@andysorensen1737]

This location did make it to 50 years; Woodfield (and this Sears) opened September 9, 1971.

[@ras124]

They just closed one by me in Massapequa

[@viz8746]

This is just so unbelievably sad...😢

[@landontk7696]

You should return to Northbrook Court they just lost H&M, j. Crew and several other stores

[@kittyboochanyesbongono8467]

Those are small stores. Do you expect him to do a Forever 21 or Disney Store store closing video?

[@landontk7696]

@@kittyboochanyesbongono8467 Yes, because I said Northbrook Court. I wasn’t asking for an H&M tour, I meant mall tour.

[@kittyboochanyesbongono8467]

@@landontk7696 Yeah that’s a good idea. But he is gonna be taking a break for 1 or 2 years (And I am afraid that a different person will run this channel, just look at that woman that used to run this channel, like doing Bon-Ton videos, now a man runs this channel, and I don’t want the person who run this channel to change)

[@violetaivanova6859]

Its at woodfield mall!?

[@enriquesanchez2001]

SEARS was the FIRST CREDIT CARD my Dad got when we moved to the USA in 1962.... It was THE MOST TRUSTED Leader in Retail.... I am just TOO sad to go on....

[@mollyheffernen]

I actually went here when I went to Woodfield. I wonder if they'll find a use for the building?

[@Therailwayenthusiast4real]

Can you film a von maur store please

[@jaydentv8597]

Fun fact: there are 6 Kmarts left by January 2022

[@ProspectElevators]

It's so dang depressing how much they have fallen, even in 2017-18 they still had a chance to turn things around but management failed them big time, especially in the 5-6 years leading up to bankruptcy. I think with the whole HQ being sold that I don't expect them surviving beyond the Spring or Summer of next year, highly doubt they will, too little stores and sales for them to survive at this point, the closing of the Woodfield store pretty much is the final nail in the coffin, hopefully this building will get some good use in the future though, Woodfield has had it's struggles with COVID but they still have decent amount of foot traffic still so I definitely see them surviving this doom and gloom, whenever COVID ends since don't think it's going away anytime soon, probably not until 2023 or 24 at this point

[@LostDepartments]

Yeah, Woodfield will be fine long term. I think it will have to evolve like many other malls have had to do as well.

[@davis6123]

I really thought this would be their final store standing. Woodfield was basically their flagship store. The remaining stores are such an odd mix of locations. I give it until the end of 2022.

[@kittyboochanyesbongono8467]

That's what i’ve expected

[@stevenmorales3515]

Hopefully Kroger owned Mariano’s would rebuilt on former Sears.

[@islandcityelevandesc]

Yeah I don't see Sears lasting to next summer.

[@ccateni28]

How is Sears still around? Why didn't they just shut down all the stories during bankruptcy? They clearly didn't do a great job after bankruptcy despite still being in bankruptcy and "turning around".

[@cmparker]

Why is this your last Sears tour? You don't want to road trip with some other Chicago area explorers to the next one that closes? In other news, I've been waiting for this video. I don't know when I want to upload my final walkthrough.

[@primusvsunicron1]

Have you seen the gas prices

[@cmparker]

@@primusvsunicron1 Yes, but I'm still driving. I have every intention of going down to Lee's Summit, MO to the closing Macy's if life doesn't get in the way.

[@LostDepartments]

I'm a broke college student.

[@kanna-san.]

​@@LostDepartmentsdamn that sucks

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

Sears is almost extinct!

[@kittyboochanyesbongono8467]

Well, at least there is Sears Hometown

[@retailadventures6]

Didn’t realize you got here, it’s sad but I knew it was coming this store did not look good.

[@j.moto3435]

Good Riddance SEARS!!! I proudly say good riddance as a former employee from 2000-2003 during their peak. Arrogant management back then. Sears is dead and now I make 5X more than I did working there full time. I get the last laugh!!!

[@trollzone1]

Yes I worked there in the odds as well. They were arrogant and riding high. Walmart (too low brow) and online shopping could never stop them (too slow and new).