GREENFIELD — Operators of the Sears appliance store in Greenfield say they won’t be harmed by the chains bankruptcy filing and will remain open despite their parent company’s announcement that more than 140 locations will be shuttered nationwide.
Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, buckling under its massive debt load and staggering losses, according to the The Associated Press.
The question now is whether a smaller version of the company that once towered over the American retail landscape can remain viable or whether the iconic brand will be forced out of business.
The chain has already announced it will close 142 stores across the country before the end of the year. But Greenfield’s Sears Hometown Store, located at 1244 W Main St., will remain open, said owner Melonye Schebler.
The location is tied to the company only in name, she said.
Sears Hometown Stores are independently and locally owned and operated. They are much smaller than their mall-anchoring counterparts, carrying only home appliances, sporting goods, tools and consumer electronics, according to the company’s website.
The Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. has its own board of directors, who will now determine whether the hometown stores will need to change their names to no longer be associated with Sears, Schebler said. But regardless of what the sign reads, Greenfield’s Sears isn’t shutting down anytime soon.
“We’ve always sort of been the stepchild, so now we’re just taking the lead,” Schebler said. “We’re going to run and run strong because we’re a well-rounded operation.”
Sears, which started as a mail order catalog in the 1880s, has been on a slow march toward extinction as it lagged far behind its peers and incurred huge losses over the years, the AP reports.
As of May, it had fewer than 900 stores nationwide, down from a 2012 peak of 4,000.
The only remaining Sears department store in Central Indiana is located at the Greenwood Park Mall. That store is expected to close by the end of the year as part of the company’s bankruptcy reorganization plan, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Also on the list of stores closing is the only Kmart left in Indianapolis, at 6780 W. Washington St.
Sears joins a growing list of retailers that have filed for bankruptcy or liquidated in the last few years amid a fiercely competitive climate. Some, like Payless ShoeSource, successfully emerged from reorganization in bankruptcy court. But plenty of others like, Toys R Us and Bon-Ton Stores Inc., haven’t. Both retailers were forced to shutter their operations this year soon after Chapter 11 filings, according to the AP.
Sears has struggled with outdated stores and complaints about customer service even for its once crown jewels: major appliances like washers and dryers. That’s in contrast with chains like Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Macy’s, which have been enjoying stronger sales as they benefit from a robust economy and efforts to make the shopping experience more inviting by investing heavily in remodeling and de-cluttering their stores.
Sears arrived in Greenfield 12 years ago. But the hometown store on Main Street became independently owned and operated three years ago when Schebler and her husband bought the store.
Schebler said she purchases goods directly from manufacturers and the several members of their staff have more than 10 years of experience working at the Greenfield location, she said.
And despite its parent company’s struggles, the Greenfield store has prospered in the past few years, Schebler said.
Greenfield’s Sears has received many visitors from outside of town because of the scarcity of stores around Central Indiana, and the location was 29th in the nation last year for customer care and service, she said.
“We’re very pleased to say we plan on being part of this community for a very long time,” Schebler said.
