Sears location to close
After 12 years of catalogue orders and appliance sales, rising costs were too much for the family-owned dealership
Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Sears Canada dealer on Old Airport Road is set to close on July 29.
David Lucas and Michelle Lucas stand behind the catalogue pick-up counter inside their Sears Canada satellite store. After 12 years with the company, the couple is closing the location on Old Airport Road due to rising rent, power and fuel costs. - Karen K. Ho/NNSL photo
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Owners David Lucas and Michelle Lucas said that rising costs were simply too much for them to keep the 5,000-square foot outlet of the major appliance chain going.
"Rent and utilities tripled in seven years," David said. "I wish it could stay open but I just can't afford to do it."
While a popular pick-up location for Sears catalog orders, David said that it costs $5,000 in fuel just to heat the space. During the last year he had to hold down another job with H&R Block in order to make payroll. He and his wife Michelle also made deliveries for Sears after hours. But even with 16-hour days during the Christmas season in the fall and early winter, and energy-efficient measures during the summer, it still wasn't enough to cover the bills.
Currently, everything in the store has been marked with bright neon orange "final sale" signs, with prices 40 per cent off retail.
Even with the city's signature music festival taking place over the weekend, David said rapid word-of-mouth about the upcoming closure led to "hundreds of customers" coming into the store on Saturday. "There were people in a panic holding signs," he said, with a smile.
Normally, there are more than 130 fridges, stoves, dishwashers, washers and dryers on the showroom floor, carefully arranged to maximize space, said the owners. But Michelle and David said with so many families on Saturday, 25 of them sold. On Monday, there were no more televisions or pillows and fewer than 20 major appliances left.
"It's so empty in here," David said.
Even with some Samsung fridges retailing for more than $3,000, David said the margins on many appliances have shrank over the years and the trend has moved from repairing these items to replacing them.
"It drives me nuts too, but it's just the way things are."
Despite those changes and shifts in technology, the couple built a loyal following among both employees and customers. Assistant manager Bradley Choquette has worked with the Lucas' on and off for eight years, even taking time off while attending school in Vancouver to run things while the couple went on vacation.
"I'll miss working for Michelle and David," Choquette said.
"He's more like our son than an employee," Michelle said.
Everyone in the Lucas family has been involved in the business in some way, including each of David and Michelle's three sons, as well as their 11-year-old dog Katie. The couple said they adopted the small white and grey dog at six weeks of age and she's accompanied them to work every day since.
"She's our greeter," Michelle said.
"I have no idea what Katie'll do in retirement," David added.
Long-time Yellowknife resident Bev Bowden was also in the store on Monday, checking out the remaining merchandise after recently buying a high-end Dyson vacuum. She estimated that over the years, her family had purchased at least 15 major appliances from the Sears Canada outlet. Bowden called the closure a huge loss for the city.
"I feel really bad," she said. "It's been here for 35 years."
Everything that hasn't been sold by July 29, except for the fixtures, will go back to Sears - including the hundreds of catalogues that still sit underneath the pickup counter.
Before announcing the closure, David and Michelle did look into a new store location elsewhere, including the Centre Square Mall.
"It would be four times as much for half the space," David said. "It gives you an idea of why all those malls are so empty."
Even with increased competition from other outlets like Amazon, David and Michelle said there's a strong possibility Yellowknife won't be without a Sears location for very long. The couple said they have received multiple inquiries about taking over the outlet from companies and individuals.
"It's more than likely it will happen," David said. "The community needs this business even just as a catalogue depot to receive orders."
While David said that his family will be paying business expenses "for years to come," he and his wife are looking forward to the future.
"Weekends off would be nice."
