Exploring an Abandoned Sears. Toledo, Ohio. 

Who ever would have thought that Sears would go out of business and be gone forever. Sears was my first credit card. I got it just to buy Craftsman tools. A great Saturday night was going out to dinner with Mom and Dad, and then shopping at Sears. My wife and Mom would go to clothes and Dad and I would shop for tools. So sad to see Sears go away.

My Sears Kenmore washer and dryer are still going strong. Purchased in 1993 !

I'm heartbroken with my memories of working at Sears. I worked for Sears from January 2006 to February 2020. I loved working at Sears, with the customers and my coworkers. Sears was once one of the best places to spend your hard earned money 💰 with. My favorite thing at Sears was the craftsman tools. LTW on tools, if they ever failed all you had to do was exchange it out, didn't even need the receipt as long as they could read the word craftsman on the failed tool. We even had rebuilt kits for the ratchets if you wanted to keep your old one . No problem! Sears was the best. Great memories. Miss Sears so much. 😢 Sears was the heart of American retail stores.

It's also crazy to think that Sears was well-positioned to be Amazon long before Amazon existed. Sears was a big leader in mail catalog shopping. Too bad they didn't see the internet for all its potential as their already well-established warehouse infrastructure would have come in very handy.

I was an appliance repair tech out of that store from 2008-2014. I recognize the pickup trucks of the two of my old coworkers parked next to our A&E trucks. We changed to the a&e name after the bankruptcy in 2005 A&E was originally Montgomery Wards appliance repair name and we purchased it when they went under. The appliance repair portion was seperated as a different holdings company that still operates independent of Sears and could be sold separately. Also something neat about the auto center is that there is a full basement under that building that houses a locker room and showers, a break room and tire storage wearhouse.

Thank you for this. You are very accurate on it. I worked at this Sears from 1977-1981, and during those years I sold swimming pools, plumbing, worked at customer service and the teletype department. The outdoor garden shop area you mentioned in the ENE corner is where we had the swimming pools set up. Also a shed where we kept chemicals and fertilizer. The roofed strip from the key shop had lights underneath and looked quite cool at night. Was a great store, great products, and a great job at the time, my first "real job."

Sad day when this store closed. I shopped there for decades. I loved going there to look through all the Craftsman tools.

I used to walk thru sears multiple times per week when i lived 5 minutes away from Mall of america. I used to love playing around on the fancy ride on lawn mowers in the store 😂

Great story. I remember as a child Sears was the place to shop at Christmas time. They had absolutely everything. Including model train sets running. How things have changed. And not always for the better. Excellent video. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

I worked my first summer job in this store in the 70s. It was my luck to be assigned to the candy counter. I worked next to the major appliance department where the salesmen wore coats and ties and made a good living selling washers and dryers on commission. My fringe benefits were the occasional bag (or two) of chocolate covered peanuts, bridge mix, etc. which I’d grab from the stock room on my way out the door. I was very popular with my friends when I’d show up with the snacks. :)

I started my driving career hauling out of Manteno Illinois which was the Sears distribution center. I actually delivered to this store. I usually got to my store the night before and spent the night in the semi truck. One of my co drivers told me I was nuts for sleeping in the parking lot at this Sears overnight. It's crazy that the hundreds of Sears stores I deliver to are all gone. Company stop hauling Sears freight at the beginning of 2015.

My last sears (westland, mi) closed for good today. I will miss Sears so much

In the 1970s my parents referred to the Sears credit card as a “charge plate”.

Those Sears commericals were so damn good in the 1980s

Thank you for doing this video! I used to go there with my parents as a kid. My mom wound be picking up orders in the catalog department and my dad would be in the Craftsman tool section. Then when I started driving I would shop there as a teen! So many good memories. I remember the candy counter, popcorn and roasted peanuts too!

I worked there in the coffee shop in 1963 till 1969 loved it.

I really like these old-school store buildings, before they were remodeled and destroyed. I find the original designs a lot more appealing. Maybe it's just the nostalgia that I find appealing.

This makes my heart ache. I really miss my childhood. 😥

I can still smell the caramel corn as mom led us kids through the doors. I remember distinctly the Christmas toy display they set up in 1965. Probably the last time I entered this building was around 1970. After that, I spent most of my time at the Southwyck Mall.

I worked at Sears part time in 1976 while going to college In Dayton Ohio. And just last week I had to replace the battery in my Suburban. It was a Diehard which I had for 8 years and 8 months which I bought at the Sears in Piqua Ohio. I bought another Die Hard at Advance auto parts. I hope it lasts a long time.

I get a pit in my stomach when i think about the long miserable collapse of Sears. I hate it.

Sears, and the Westgate development in general, helped lead to the demise of downtown Toledo. I guess the evolution of other shopping areas in Toledo lead to the demise of Sears and Elder-Beerman. Life evolves. (The Kenmore washer and dryer that we bought in that store in 2004 is still going strong!)

I’m from Toledo myself and I’m really enjoying the random facts I’m learning about my city on your channel! Cool stuff Nate!

They just thore it down 😭😭😭 I used to love sears back in the day I used to go with my grandma shopping we lived 5m from there RIP Sears and Grandma 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I worked there back in 1995. Still shopped there after I left. I remember clearly how Sears was set up and designed in its last days of being open.

The Sears/Kmart story is now almost completely written. It is a chapter in the history of retail in North America. The only certain thing in life is change. I can remember as a child thinking that Sears/ Kmart would last forever -- but it didn't. Remembering the world which I lived when I was young only shows my age. I guess I'm the one who needs to change now and become more flexible.

Spent many hours in that exact store shopping. So sad to see that it's just a shell of a once great store. Seeing this video makes reminds me just how big it actually was.

It's kind of sad to think most of the stores from my childhood now all out of business or damn near. Sears, Kmart, Hills, JC Penny, Woolworth, Elder Beermen, The Andersons and the local malls Southwyck, NorthTown, Woodville Mall, Great Eastern, Westgate, and more I'm sure I'm forgetting. I distinctly remember the smells and sounds at many though it was a variety of popcorn, chlorine, cinnamon coated almonds, cookies, leather, and perfumes. And the sounds of running water, arcade games, and the bass from the movie theaters. But I also understand I literally didn't shop at most of them as soon as I became an adult consumer. They were out of date out of style and looked like 50yr old buildings. So they were poorly managed and didn't react with the changing times in my opinion. Thanks for the flashback in time though!!

It is very sad to realize that Sears was the original "Amazon". Someone in leadership there completely dropped the ball making the Sears company into the online internet behemoth that Amazon is now. Sears already had the system in place with warehouses all over doing the catalog business! What the hell happened? Is Sears still alive at all? And K Mart for that matter. Didn't Sears buy KMart at some point?

I loved Sears, was sad to see it go under, everyone just couldn't wait until the Christmas catalog came out in the fall. Their stuff was excellent, their appliances were easy to get repaired, just say it's from Sears and you'd never have problems getting it fixed. Feel sorry for the owners who lost everything, when Sears folded up, they were really great people.

My Dad managed the catalog department from the opening of this store up until the mid 70's. A lot of memories....

I remember peaceful Sunday drives, brother, me, mom and dad and window shopping in the car, we always went to Sears, it's where my brother and I first got to drive the car when he turned 11 then when I turned 11, great memories.

I remember shopping at this Sears. My grandpa lived down the road.

First of all, Nate, Thank you !!! This was such a nostalgic look back. I grew up in Lincolnshire which was a new housing development just through the woods, west of Sears. I used to make the trip, walking, of course, to Sears at least 3 times a week and knew that store like the back of my hand. I was about 10-11 years old at the time. The front entrance door handles.. Yes ! those were original and I loved the fact that they kept them even after renovating the building with the new 'white paint' ..but those door handles didn't need to be replaced. They were made to last ! And those stone aggregate tiles in the front walkways..again, such a neat touch. I had to laugh to myself when you showed the back entrance. Because when I got a bit older, we used to buy cigarettes out of vending machines which were in the vestibule between the two double doors as you went in. We were under age of course but back then, you could buy those smokes out of vending machines ! Loved that fact about the air conditioning unit, continuing to run after these years.. How can that be ? that seems a bit like a haunting.. LOL. Oh..and the water tower..which I had forgotten totally about.. I remember that too..and some of the boys in our neighborhood used to boast that they had climbed the tower ! I can imagine that the building is filled with asbestos and therefore, very expensive to tear down. I still live in Toledo and pass that building almost everyday. Sears was a great store, no doubt about it. Your video did it justice.. thank you !

Have good memories at this location... used to be a nice feeling during Christmas time (~2001) I remember going with my dad one time and playing the demo for Pokémon yellow.. i was a child then.. now I'm as old my dad was at the time.. God bless

Looks mostly like I remember it during my time through closing. Toledo was a mighty Sears store in its day, well maintained and a great place to work because of the many loyal Sears customers.

Like most of the other comments from men, I also parked close to the tool section. I was thinking the electronic section (TVs,etc) was the first thing you noticed heading onto the 2nd floor. As a dude in my 50’s, I don’t care for the mall situations. So these were my favorite stores. Can’t forget about the “Lions” department store across the street!

I really like the way you presented this. ❤

I miss Sears! You did a great job of sharing! So many memories 💜

i definateley miss this store. used to shop here all the time. used to buy all my appliances here

When we were kids, my brother and I would go thru the Sears Christmas catalogue. What fun! Sears, also a place for everything from tolls to tires and clothes, too. Onward!

I remember when it first opened at Westgate. They were originally located downtown Toledo on the corner of Summit and Jefferson. I have dim memories of being in that location. Sears Westgate had a mid century modern style coffee shop located in the southwest corner of the building. They used to sell swimming pools outside the north entrance. My parents bought a pool there mid 1960’s. Us kids loved the toy department. I remember the color TVs on the second floor. I installed a phone system in their new dental facility in the mid 1990’s.

Sears used to have everything. We had a stand-alone sears. In my town, it was massive. I think they would have survived with the right management. This video reminds me of our original store.

The Westgate Sears was our go-to store for just about everything. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. What a riches to rags story for the great Sears Roebuck Company.

I used to work as undercover security here in 1984-1985. We chased many a shoplifter in and out of the store. Man do I have the stories! (I'm just glad there were no cell phone cameras back then. All I can say is the way these thieves got treated is why we had very little "return customers"!) Thanks for doing this.

Born in Toledo and lived in Sylvania. Loved this Sears and all of Westgate shopping. I remember well the smell of the nut and caramel corn. And I even remember those door handles and the pebble tile squares on the entrance walks. And walking across the lot to LaSalles

I remember going there with my folks when I was little! My sister & I would look at all the pretty clothes & go past the perfume counters. Dad liked the tool section. I'd forgotten about the peanut counters! Great memories. Thanks for the video!

Thank you, brings back memories. I believe the area you describe with lawn mowers and etc. was more a seasonal area. I think that is where they had toys and Christmas decorations during the holiday season. And I think the catalog department may have been there. You can't talk Sears in the 60's and 70's without including the Wishbook and catalogs.

Very cool. Thank you for bringing some great memories of Sears. I was a employee at the Auto Center for 9 years. Loved my time with them. It was a great company to work for.

Excellent work Nate! Love the Vaporwave style aesthetic in the intro, very Dan Bell.

Thank you for this. My mom and dad always bought there appliances at sears. We always shop there when i was a kid. The shoes were right pass the stairs going up to the second floor.

I spent 21 years with Sears, 1964-85, first as an auto mechanic, then I went into Central Service in 1966, Div 26-65-22-42 outside in home repair tech until I left in 1985. Sears spent big money on those stores and the auto centers. I was hired while the Hicksville NY store was still under construction. In the early 80's they closed up the windows, painted the store that awful beige over the perfect brick and sand stone facades. That made the inside feel like a basement. We had the Key kiosk which was originally a Foto-Mat. In the late 80's all the hardware goods were placed in the basement. "Rags" or clothing took over the entire street level. The Hicksville store was one of the most prosperous on the East Coast. It now stands closed up like this one. The big guys just let it go.

This blows my mind. I used to go here all the time. My aunt used to work there at the eye center. So crazy how time flies.

I'm not in Ohio, but was a great video and narrative. I bought my first mower and vacuum cleaner from Sears in 1990. I still can't believe they're gone. 😢

Great video... I worked there in the early 2000's. It was the beginning of the end.

I used to love this Sears!! I would shop after Christmas and get great deals!

Nice work., I feel bummed out remembering all the old times ., gone now. 😢

You did a wonderful job with describing and with drone views of Sears. I worked at a Sears in the 90s in CA, our employees lounge was in the basement which was used during their parking lot sales in the 70s. They had so much memorable that they threw out during the remodel in 00s.

I grew up shopping at this very store with my grandma. Great video.

I have seen a Sears store by its self in Houston, Texas and also a Montgomery Wards by themselves. I have seen those door handles at many Sears stores. I miss Sears as it was a great place to shop, you could buy everything, even organs that were made by Thomas organ company, called the Sears Galaxy.

I have watched quite a few videos similar to this but wow you did an amazing job editing and commentary. Definitely subscribing

Thanks for posting this video, I truly enjoyed it

Wow, memories are coming back. Worked in the Catalog Department in the Paramus, NJ store for several years. Let’s see: Catalog Div. 200, Toys Div. 49, Tools Div. 9, Seasonal Div. 71. Home Furnishings: Winter White was color number 941.

Jeeesus this was good. I love that you have older photos and can super impose the before and after. I live in Milwaukee, which once had the largest SEARS store (SEARS CITY Fond du lac and North Avenue). And although it was built/from the 1930's or so, it had a detached farm store, auto center, appliance center, and all of that candy and popcorn when you first entered them. In fact, the popcorn always was a good way to hide that smell of all of that old grease and oil (and you could actually smell the tires back then). It too, had a detached key shop...it must have been an expensive machine and not many places had them. I get a kick out of the old slogans and logos that were so familiar to us back then, like the SEARS HAS EVERYTHING and THERES MORE FOR YOUR LIFE AT SEARS

This takes me back to my youth. We had a stand alone in St. Mathews in Louisville....on Shelbyville Rd...at SEARS Ave....Great snippits of old Sears tv spots...very nice

Kinda sad to see how the city has withered away. If I hit the lottery I would move back to Ohio for the trees & grass. I miss that.

I miss Sears and the whole Westgate experience. Grew up there, mom always took us to the stores around there.

Shopped there alot in the 70s....I touched those handles myself!!

Wow I remember spending my first paycheck there in the 80s when I was a teenager fast times and wonderful memories 🙏😔

When I was little, I got lost at that sears. A nice lady took me to the counter and called my parents over the PA.

Great video! Grew up and got my glasses and school clothes at this Sears! Sad that it and all the history is gone….. Westgate was the place to shop in its day.

So many memories, wandering around while mom shopped🤣🤣🤣

I always went in that same entrance for the same reason, one of my favorite stores

Used to go there actin as a kid in the 70's. Had one of those x-ray machines in the shoe department to make sure your shoes fit right. They made the best Carmel corn at the side entrance

Some of my fondest memories are of the breakfast bar and the snack bar at Sears where you could see those peanuts on that turntable. I played my first game of "Pong" at Sears. About 5 years ago, the only Sears store open in our area was in Marion, Illinois. It was still a beautiful store but, there was no one there and it looked like an episode of the Twilight Zone. I needed a socket to replace the Craftsman socket I had broken. I picked out my socket and walked to the cashier. This young man started asking if I was interested in a credit card with Sears. I explained that I just wanted to replace this socket and walk out. I couldn't believe they were a sinking ship and they STILL were pushing that crap. They closed shortly after that. GREAT VIDEO!

I worked at the auto center back in 2010-2011ish. There is a huge basement with a utility elevator that they kept the new tires in.

I really miss Sears. And western auto too. Sears was a great place to work and shop. When ours closed they couldn't wait to tear it down. It was gone in a month

Thank you! Great job!

I've shopped at this sears a several times before it closed, usually for xmass shopping. Was definitely one of the odd ones, most were usually in malls.

I worked at Sears Service Department for 11 years and I watched how they didn't worry about fixing anything it was about how much you could sell while in the home. They kept pushing more and more until I had enough then went into commercial work

Nice video! My hometown had a Sears Hardware store from the mid-1990's up until the mid 2010's.. Wish I had appreciated the rarity of having a stand alone Sears right down the street.

I used to shop there with my sisters.. so many good memories.

My grandma and grandpa took me there when i was a kid in the 60's and we used to get warm carmel corn right after they made it and hot dogs and ice cream. As an adult i bought many craftsman tools there.

Thanks for listing that track!

Wow, so many details are very similar to the Lincoln Park, MI Sears I worked at in high school. It is also abandoned now.

Awesome video! i miss sears! The good old days!

We had a Sears downtown Waukegan , IL from about 1948 to 1983. It was then turned into offices. This was the second location. There was a Sears at Hawthorn Shopping center, as well as Gurnee Mills mall, Kenosha, and Regency mall in Racine.

The water tower was a water reserve for the fire sprinkler system for the building.

I live down the street from there been going there since the 70s. Christmas time was pretty cool there they had all the toys out to play with got all my shoes there my the old school shopping clothes days there ever year miss that place. And K marts. 💯🇺🇸

many trips to that Sears store growing up this and Andersons hit kinda hard

I used to live around the corner from there. I remember going to the dentist on the second floor for a couple years until they moved down the street.

My brother went to Macomber HS and worked co-op at this Sears store. He then went to work at the store for years after he graduated.

My Mom used to take us to our local Sears in Indianapolis Indiana. We used to get most of our clothing at Sears.

We used to shop at Sears and Montgomery Ward all the time..great memories

Google just recommended your video to my feed; glad it did. I don’t know your store, but remember similar standalone stores here in CA. Love the old craftsmanship of the decor and windows.. and sad to learn the building is now torn down. Unlikely any of that lovely stone or stainless steel was reused. What killed Sears wasn’t that they looked and felt dated in the 1970s, or that they could’ve evolved their catalog into an Internet gold mine-it was the idiot banker that took over the place. He engineered the takeover to get ahold of their real estate, sell it off at a profit, and lease the land back to the stores. It was very profitable in the beginning, but not as a sustainable retail business. Add it all up and what we boomers have left is just fond memories of our childhood in this once great store.

I grew up in Lincoln Park Michigan. we had a standalone store also. the last thing I bought there were 4 tires for my car. still miss Sears - K- Mart and Radio Shack.

I remember going there just before new years back in 1999 when visiting my grandma.

Neat video. I love to see older buildings like that. Lots of history there, and unfortunately it very well could be demolished one day for something less elegant than the designs we saw years ago. I find it odd that all the lights are on in an empty store. Imagine the power bill someone is paying for a building no one is using. You'd think they'd have a minimum of lights on; just enough to be able to see, but not every light in the store. The air-conditioner running was almost funny. But I also imagine that if power is on, those security cameras are all active and someone was probably watching you walking around the perimeter of the store! Thanks for the video, and please be safe.

I miss Sears. Back in the 60s-70s they had just about everything you needed. My uncle worked at the Oakbrook, Illinois store. Back then they had knowledgeable and helpful employees. Seems like they began their downhill slide when their auto centers began ripping off people. Then they started hiring unhepful sales people and changed to those centrally located cash registers. I don't recall ever seeing a Sears that was not in a mall. It's a shame they failed and a shame that the malls are failing.

Westgate today is awesome good job of reviving !!!!