After facing years of closure scares, the Sears store that has stood in East Pasadena at 3801 E. Foothill Blvd. between Michillinda Avenue and Rosemead Boulevard since 1958 will be closed.
The one-time powerhouse retailer, which opened in 1893, has struggled in recent years and closed dozens of locations nationwide.
In fall Sears will close its last department store in Illinois, the state in which it was founded in 1925.
Transformco, which acquired Sears Holdings after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2018, said it plans to focus on ramping up Sears Home Services and sears.com.
The Pasadena Sears anchored retail in East Pasadena for decades. In 2003, it underwent a $5 million renovation. The store recently downsized, splitting its floor space approximately in half with a Home Goods store.
When the store was faced with possible closure in 2019, Pasadena City Councilmember Gene Masuda said the scenario “makes me sad because I grew up with Sears.”
“For years, when I went into the Sears store in East Pasadena, there were hardly any shoppers, yet I would buy tools that I needed,” Masuda said then. “We bought many household items and school clothes for my son who got his first job at Sears as a cashier while in high school.”
Masuda said any news about Sears is personal in a sense, since the once-giant retailer has a long history in the community.
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13 thoughts on “Pasadena Sears To Close After 63 Years”
When will it be closing?
Very sad I work at Sears for 14 years met incredible people it was such a beautiful store
Unknown at this time
So very sad! My very first job was at Sears at the candy counter, then I got a “promotion” and a 20 cents an hour raise ($3.25 to $3.45) to the snack bar. I eventually worked my way to the catalog department (a predecessor to Amazon!). It was at one time a great company to work for. When I left, I continued to get checks for vacation time, profit sharing etc. It wasn’t much, but it was nice that they cared for their employees. Sears was a busy place! But even I have to admit that as of the last few years, it began to deteriorate and just continued to get worse. Still so very sad to see such an icon diminish and go out.
1978 Sears in Pasadena ca was my first job ,I was PBS operator, I loved my job there lots of good memories there.
As a very young kid, I vaguely recall the original Pasadena Sears located on Green Street downtown Pasadena. Anyone?
And in related news, the horse and buggy has been replaced by the combustible engine.
My second job was selling toys at Sears for Christmas 1958. Barbie dolls were brand new. I thought they were really ugly, but a lot of women bought them (I think they were $1.99) and sets of clothes for them — I think the most expensive outfits were $4.99. I was making $1/hour then, 10 cents an hour more than Penney’s and The Broadway were paying. Recently the store hasn’t been worth going to, and it’s a crying shame that they eliminated their catalog business just about the time that Amazon was ramping up. If they’d been smarter they could have been Amazon.
I hate this, have been going to Sears my whole life. All I have in my home are Sears’ appliances. Will there still be somewhere to purchase these locally or are they forever gone?
Sears was in a multi-floor building on Colorado Street across from Pasadena Presbyterian Church. The building then became a Bank of America, which moved from an old bank-looking building on Colorado between Arroyo Blvd and Marengo Avenue, across from Nash’s Department Store. All those buildings except for the Sears building have been torn down, as well as the heart of downtown between Marengo and Los Robles Avenue.
Most of us grew up with Sears, it is so sad to see the store closing most if not all their stores, Sears had a long headstart before Target and Walmart but it poor management and its unwilling to change with the times sealed its fate.
Did a lot of shopping from the catalog after everyone was in bed and then picked it up at the store. They should have stayed with the catalog.
Also I bought a lof of appliances from them and they are getting old. Now where will I go?
I will miss Sears.
I was told by an employee that the last day for Sears in Pasadena is November 14, 2021. Last year they closed Glendale Sears after 85 years and now this.
I guess the problem is corporate lawyer/managers like Mr. Eddie Lampert who want to make more and more money instead of serving the public. As I understand Transformco also belongs to him. Did he sell Sears to himself?