LANDS’ END ENDING FOR GARDEN OAKS, BUT NO SEARS’ END IN SIGHT 
Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, and Independence Heights–area customers who received a not-entirely-clear email this morning from Lands’ End calling attention to the “big savings on everything” in the Sears store at 4000 N. Shepherd Dr. in Houston, but noting that “Unfortunately, we’ll be closing that location on 1/31/14″: Here’s a little explication for you. Only the Lands’ End store within the Garden Oaks Sears will be closing at the end of the month. The Sears itself will remain open, for the time being. Photo: Louisiana and Texas Southern Malls and Retail
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HEB has been working with Sears to aquire the property….
This store-within-a-story business is nuts. I was at Sears in Memorial City between Thanksgiving and Christmas and picked up a pair of jean to buy. I saw the line at the checkout area with about 15 people. I also saw another checkout down the way with 2 people. So I got in the shorter line. After a few mins. the checker said to me that I “need to check out at Sears”. I said “This looks like Sears to me.” She said, “No, this is Lands End. That is Sears over there.” I said, “You mean you won’t check me out here.” She said, “Sir, it would be best if you check out at Sears” I put the jeans down and went to Penny’s an bought the same jeans. I won’t be back at Sears.
The service at the Shepherd Sears store has always been pretty good in my experience. They have some great deals on tools. The Art Deco sign/bus stop combo out front is super cool.
The Sears/HEB rumor has been circulating for years now.
Sears once lost an entire refrigerator that I ordered.
http://www.theleadernews.com/?p=15112
HEB has denied that it is going to buy that property.
Spoonman … I think I saw that refrigerator way out on 59 North past Cleveland.
I don’t see anything wrong with this Sears. It’s probably the best one in Houston, with it’s old-school layout that includes not being attached to a crappy mall. I’ve bought several appliances and tools at that store, and the staff has always been friendly. And I love the old signage out front that doubles as a bus stop.
I was there when they built this store. In those days, Sears sold everything from saddles to automobiles. My mom got her first “revolving credit card” and suddenly products like vacuum cleaners and big console radios were within our reach. Sears also served as the bus stop where you connected from the Heights 4400 coming from downtown to a shuttle that would take you through Garden Oaks and Oak Forest. My best friend’s Mom served hot dogs around back and there was usually just enough time between buses to scarf down a dog.
I had roamed through that store so many times, I knew every stairwell, where it went and why you would go there. They opened with separate white and black drinking fountains, owing to the times where segregation was still in vogue. Black people still sat in the back of the bus. These memories are embarrassing to me now but it was how things were done back then.