Sears Dwindles To Just Five Stores Across The Country

At its height, there were some 3000 Sears stores in the United States. Now, there are just five left.

History of Sears

Born in 1863, Richard Warren Sears grew up playing 'Duck, Duck, Grey Goose' in Minnesota. In the mid 1880's, Mr. Sears started a mail-order watch business. He found quick success and met a watch repairman named Alvah Curtis Roebuck. A year later, the pair issued the first Sears mail-order catalog. Ten years later, the catalog was over 300 pages and offered a wide variety of products.

In 1925, the company opened its first brick-and-mortar store; it was a success, and as the century continued, the company spread out over the USA. It was the birth of the department store. By the 1980s, Sears stores were battling for customers with new retail giants like Walmart.

RELATED: Empire Mall Turns 50: A Look Back at the First Stores in the Mall

Sears in Sioux Falls

Sears came to Sioux Falls in 1929. It started with a couple location on Phillips Avenue downtown, then it moved to a new building just across the river at 811 E. 10th Street in Sioux Falls. In 1988, Sears moved to The Empire Mall. After surviving several rounds of store closings in the 21st Century, the Sioux Falls Sears store finally closed in 2018.

Sears Locations Now

Now, in 2026, there are just five Sears stores left. There are two in Florida, and one each in California, Texas, and Massachusetts. In addition, the company still has a, now online mail-order business.