Photos: A look back at Sears

A mechanic works on a car at Sears Automotive Center in Cupertino, Calif., 1995

The Sears Roebuck & Company Mail Order Plan in Chicago. (Library of Congress)

Ohio Steel Industries CEO Tom Martini with the shopping cart that his company has designed for use by Sears.

The Coldspot 17 cubic foot model freezer never needs defrosting, and its four Spacemaster half-shelves are adjustable to 99 different storage arrangements. Available exclusively at Sears, Roebuck and Co. 1964

Julius Rosenwald, shown in 1926, was a Chicago businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as the part-owner of Sears, Roebuck & Co. and for starting the Rosenwald Fund, which donated millions to educate rural African-American children in the South. (Chicago Tribune historical photo/TNS)

Stacks of Sears catalogs are rolled down a conveyor in the bindery in 1989. The first Sears Christmas Book catalog, published in 1933, included children's toys, fruitcakes and a 5-pound box of candy. (Chicago Tribune historical photo/TNS)

An employee from the Sears Service Center works on fixing a stationary bike at the Sears Service Center in Deerfield on Jan. 21, 1985. (Chicago Tribune Historical Photo/TNS)

This is the site on Dublin Rd. adjoining the Spring-Sandusky Interchange where Sears, Roebuck and Co. will construct a distribution center and warehouse. it will serve both retail and mail order operations in this area. Sears purchased this tract in 1948. Because of transportation facilities, this is considered a superior location for a distribution center. Besides being located on the interchange, it has Pennsylvania Railroad tracks to the north. (January 19, 1960.)

People shop on Black Friday at a Sears store at Cumberland Mall in Cumberland, Ga., near Atlanta, Friday, Nov. 23, 2018. Many of the shelves inside the store were empty and several racks have already been removed, but the merchandise that remained was going for up to 80 percent off, signs advertised. (AP Photo/Jeff Martin)

A sales consultant at Sears 's HomeLife furniture store in Miami, Fla., re-arranges a pillow in the Tropical Shores rattan collection Nov. 10, 1997. HomeLife has introduced leather, rattan and wicker furniture and lighter, brighter fabrics to match the taste of customers living near the tropics. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

An instructor teaches employees how to make stove repairs at the Sears boot camp, a hands-on learning course for repairmen and women, in Bannockburn, Ill., Dec. 4, 1996. (AP Photo/Charles Bennett)

A mother uses her foot to test flooring samples in Sears' unique home store called The Great Indoors in the south Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch, Colo., on March 10, 1998. The store, the first of its kind in the United States, is aiming at consumers who want the convenience of having all home items under one roof in a variety of price ranges. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Lazarus - Sears Shopping Center, location 6/23/61.

The Sears catalog known to millions as the bearer of American material culture will be discontinued after being in production for 97 years as the company announced on Monday part of its plan to help revitalize its retailing business. Sears also plans to eliminate 50,000 jobs and close over 100 stores, 1993.

Customers look at an RCA brand DSS, (Digital Satellite System) Wednesday, Nov. 30, 1994, in the Sears store in Paramus, N.J. The advanced digital technology delivers broadcast pictures with laser disc accuracy and CD quality sound via an 18 inch dish.(AP photo/Linda Radin)

Brand name signs and holiday decorations greet customers to the newly-remodeled Sears store in West Dundee, Ill., on Nov. 22, 2002. Once the queen of American shopping malls, Sears, Roebuck and Co. is in the early stages of a makeover to shake it stodgy, old-fashioned image in hopes to regain market share as one of the retailing giants. The makeover includes such things as providing shopping carts, centralized checkout stations, wider aisles and simplified signs, all strategies used successfully at other chains.. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Great Craftsman gift ideas to please the handydad who likes tools...The new Craftsman 2-Gallon Wet/Dry Vac (upper left) is ideal for quick spill recoveries, $29.99. No power cord needed with the go-anywhere Craftsman Cordless Hedge Trimmer (lower right), which allows the user to cut up to 600 sq. ft. of hedge on a single charge, $99.99. The Craftsman Professional Robo Grip pliers (upper right) are the best selling pliers in the world. Special two-piece Father's Day Robo Grip gift set is $39.99. A chic Craftsman black chest and roll-away cabinet (bottom right) is quickly gaining popularity; ranging from $500 to $3,300. (PR NewsFoto)

Pictured is the enhanced sears.com site. (PRNewsFoto)

FILE - In this July 20, 2017, file photo, the Kenmore Elite Smart French Door Refrigerator appears on display at a Sears store in West Jordan, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

An employee watches television coverage of the unfolding Columbia Space Shuttle explosion Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003 in the electronics department of the Sears store in Westridge Mall in Topeka, Kansas. (AP Photo/Topeka Capital-Journal, Earl Richardson )

The Sears action figure "The Villain," recommended for children ages 5 and up, comes with a ski mask, black coat, body armor, shotgun and rifle is shown as it appears in Sears' holiday catalog as part of a series called "Heroes and Villains" in this undated file photo. The gun-toting, 12-inch action figure in a black trench coat has been removed for sale because of complaints that the character resembles the teen-age gunmen at Columbine High School in Denver. Fifteen dolls were sold before Sears decided to stop selling them last week because of complaints from three people, Sears spokeswoman Jan Drummond said Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1999. (AP Photo/Sears via the Denver Post)