The Sears store at Crossroads Mall will be one of three stores in the Cornhusker State closing its doors.
The stores are three of 80 stores that will be shuttered according to an announcement that came on Friday.
Jen Stoddard owns Dragon Storm Kenpo Karate at Crossroads, and she tells 6 News that they see a steady stream of clients every week. "We hear all the time the mall is dead. Well, you know what, it's still a building. People come in. People go."
In a statement to 6 News, Sears said, "To accelerate a strategic transformation and ease our financial restructuring, the company informed associates that 80 stores will be closing, including Sears Auto Centers."
Joseph Hurley's store, Stella's, is just a couple of storefronts down from Sears. He told 6 News that only certain types of stores can make it on Crossroads. They have to be stores that don't depend on the foot traffic. "I think that a store that does well here is one that has already been established. You can't depend on people walking by all the time."
He said he decided to move Stella's to the Crossroads location eight years ago and that their customers don't have a problem driving the distance to browse the unique collectibles. "We had a lot of followers that were very loyal and followed us here."
While he said Stella's is doing fine, it's hard to ignore the empty halls and Sears. "It's never fun seeing a large company like that have to close stores."
Sears plans to start holding liquidation sales in two weeks and expect to close the store by early March. The two other Nebraska stores, in Lincoln and Alliance, will also shutter their doors.