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sears is almost gone
At the very end of 2018, the Sears store in Lubbock was closing. I decided to take a series of photographs of its last days, which I thought would be an interesting social experiment. At first I was worried that the store personnel might object to my being there. I think at the beginning of the few weeks I shot there, maybe a couple of employees realized what I was doing, but as the giant Number of Days Left banner counted it down, they cared less and less. Random photographers are not that big a problem, I guess, when your very job is about to evaporate.
The other day, while I was wandering around Maine – the way you do – I pulled into a parking lot to check the map and find out where I actually was compared to where I was more or less heading. At I saw the remains of a Sears store. And because I am easily entertained, I spent some time taking photos before I checked the map and headed on my wandery way.
Brunswick, Maine
photographed 3.18.2026
in-person retail fades away (goodbye, sears)
The Sears store in my local mall has been torn down. It’s been vacant for four years.
In the last few weeks the store was open I went up there almost every day to photograph the way a former retail giant looked as it died. At first I was worried that employees might challenge me and/or ask me to leave. But as it turns out, employees who only have that job for another paycheck or two don’t really care all that much.
And so, here are a couple of versions about what the death of Sears looked like.
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 12.26.2018 and 1.3.2019
The end of Sears: shoes
Sears was nearly gone for good and not much merchandise was left over. But, somehow, even at 80% off these shoes hadn’t sold. A retail mystery, I suppose.
Sears (the last days)
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 1.3.2019
The end of Sears: clothes
Our local Sears store closed at the beginning of 2019; during the last few weeks it was open, I went there often to photograph the ever-diminishing inventory. At first, I made the Patient Spouse go with me to provide cover, in case the employees weren’t too keen on wandering photographers. What I learned from that was that if your job at Sears is disappearing in a matter of days, you really don’t care one bit if wandering photographers are on the premises. So, the Patient Spouse got to stay home while I wandered.
Sears (the last days)
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 12.26.2018
One Day | One Image 