Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sears on 79th is now closing. What would YOU like to see happen here?

Photo by ZOL87
Recently we learned on Lee Bey's blog that the Sears store located @ 1134 E. 79th Street is closing. That's not the only store also the store located at 62nd/Western and the store at River Oaks Mall will also close. For the purposes of this post we will focus on the stores on Western and 79th Street.

For a while I had been thinking about writing a post about vacant lots and buildings that should be developed and what should be placed there. I figure this would be a good place to start let's find a use for these soon to be vacant stores on both 79th & 62nd/Western.

My first idea for both stores is this. Perhaps we could fit a Whole Foods Market in both of those stores. In fact 62nd/Western would be more likely than 79th street because a Whole Foods is already expected to be built in Hyde Park and I'm uncertain how much expansion they're going to do on this part of town. But 62nd/Western would be a good location on the Southwest part of town.

Also by possibly Worlee on our FB page it was suggested that the 79th Street Sears building could be used as a shopping center. He already has written about turning the area along Stony Island into a retail corridor almost like North/Clybourn for example. East 79th would be a great start in that direction.

BTW, if anyone has any areas they would like to add to what they would like to see developed, please feel free to share. Send an e-mail, post to our FB page, or send a tweet @thesixthward. Feel free to send pics as well.

3 comments:

  1. In the areas on two (63nd & Western and East 79th) of the 3’ Sears closing, these buildings are very large and something good for these communities should be more to help and assist these areas instead of constantly bringing ways that are mostly unaffordable to them.

    However, jobs are certainly needed, but not on part time basis. People, especially in these areas need fulltime with benefits. Professional, technical, medical, financial, and various trades can be a good way for making a career for many, so they can be huge trade schools for and in these areas, and to add not just job trading, but job placements.

    No more grocery stores. Each one of these neighborhoods has enough. Give them ways to obtain a living, savings, homes, businesses, with lifestyles they can be proud of.

    These neighborhoods have fallen over the years. There are many people who have live in them for years and decades and I am sure they would love to see their streets cleaner, as well as business (small) come back.

    Sears on East 79th has been around, often with new faces since I was a young child (1960’s). And to see it closing will be missed, but the area has changed so much, I’m sure it was a challenged to keep it’s doors opened.

    I hope whatever is done with these buildings will benefit the community, especially for growth and positivity.

    Again, I can especially remember the 63rd and 79th Streets stores back in the day, and there were no malls. Sears was the family store to all for everything.

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  2. The main reason Sears closed these and other stores is that they failed to meet the needs of the consumer. While Sears was the store of the 60's it failed to change with current trends and is in danger of going the way of Montgomery Wards, Goldblatts, Wiebolts, etc. As you stated the mall has made the standalone store vulnerable but technology has delivered the biggest blow. Now people know that Diehard batteries are made by First Interstate and Kenmore appliances are made by Frigidaire they can go to specialty stores and purchase comparable items at typically a lower cost. Also, teens are not interested in "tough skins" or some of the other Sears brands including the styles offered by national brands such as Nike, Addidas, etc.

    The bottom line is that these stores became showrooms that allowed consumers to comparison shop and really had nothing to do with the neighborhoods.

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  3. Closing the 79th and 63rd, then Ford City Sears was the most Devastated Ever happened to Chicago, now they closed down Downtown South State/ Madison Sears down last year was a nightmare to all of us Chicagoans .

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