Bethesda Sears store closes - Watch it close for the last time! (Video + Photos)

Sears has closed forever at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The official closure date has been moved up repeatedly, from March to February, and now to January 20. In a last fake-out, signs in the store Sunday evening stated the store was closing in five days. However, all merchandise minus a few rugs and fixtures was gone, and store employees said yesterday was actually the last day. Now watch and listen to the final minutes of this store's life, and the final closing announcement as Sears closed for the final time:

A bin filled with promotional materials included an announcement for the venerable Wish Book, once a Christmas tradition in American mailboxes each fall. Fast Eddie Lampert killed the Wish Book a number of years ago, but brought it back halfheartedly in what would wind up being its final encore i 2018.

The depressing final days of Sears in Bethesda (Photos)

The Bethesda Sears store is closing next month, and many departments are now sporting bare shelves and empty floor space. A toy area set up for holiday shoppers has been picked clean, with only rubbish left behind.

There are a few bright spots. Plenty of Craftsman tools remain, and buying a floor model appliance could save you up to 70% off the purchase price. A throwback Christmas animal sporting an early Sears, Roebuck & Co. logo is a reminder of a department store icon having been frittered away by "Fast" Eddie Lampert.

Bethesda Sears store in full closing mode (Photos)

The Sears store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda is scheduled to close forever in February 2019. They're getting a head start just before Black Friday, however. "Store Closing" signs have been slapped all over the store inside and out. A closing sale is also now underway.

Manufacturers' warranties still apply to appliances and other items, but no returns are being accepted - all sales are final. Some points and promotions will no longer apply here, and you can no longer return Land's End merchandise to this location. Expect to find some deals, but make sure you read all the disclaimers and signage in the appropriate department before buying anything. In addition, this store did not participate in a members-only Sears nationwide event last night at 6:00 PM.

It's a sad end for our venerable Sears store, which will follow the legendary Tenleytown Sears store into the Great Beyond. It takes a hustler like Fast Eddie Lampert to run an iconic American retail brand into the ground.

Bethesda Sears store closing moved up a month

The expected closure of the Sears store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda next spring has been moved up a month, according to a statement by the struggling department store chain. Westfield had previously announced the iconic retail anchor would close in March 2019. Now, Sears says, the store will close in February.

As I previously reported, Westfield has already acquired the Sears building. It plans to tear it down, and replace it with a mixed-use town center development.

Bethesda Sears store to close March 31, 2019

Sears will close its Bethesda store at Westfield Montgomery Mall on March 31, 2019. The announcement was made late Wednesday not by Sears, but by Westfield, which recently purchased the Sears store building at the mall. 

Given that Sears tightly guards the secrecy of its closure announcements, and that such advance notice will have a severe impact on big-ticket appliance, lawn equipment and electronic purchases at the store, the disclosure was indeed unusual. Westfield says the Sears building will be demolished, and its footprint will be filled by part of a new, urban-style development on that side of the mall (see my story to follow this report).

The report is sad news for fans of Sears, and of traditional American department stores.