April 10 will be the last day Sears Hometown Store, 2816 Frontage Road, Warsaw, will be open.
At one point, store owner Ken Ashpole said he tried to sell the franchise, which has two full-time and two part-time employees, because he wanted to retire, but he didn’t find any buyers.
With the Kmart closing late in 2019, and the Sears Holdings filing for bankruptcy in 2018, Ashpole said sales were hurt because people thought the store was associated with Sears Holdings. Instead, in an interview in August, Ashpole said the Warsaw store was one of 500 franchise stores that separated from Sears Holdings and became Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. about six years ago.
In August, when Transform Co., the parent company of Sears and Kmart, announced the closure of the Warsaw Kmart, Ashpole said the Warsaw Sears was unrelated to the closures. However, at the time, he did say he saw a decline in sales.
“I think we have a loyal base,” Ashpole said, but overall, sales weren’t meeting costs.
The store started liquidation sales Friday. Ashpole said everything must go, including such things as fixtures and shelving.
The store will no longer be accepting checks for merchandise, only credit/debit cards and cash, he said. The store will continue to accept checks and cash for payments on the Sears credit card.
The manufacturer’s warranties and service plans for the appliances are still good, as Ashpole said they are through a third party.
