5 Downtown Department Stores that Don't Exist Anymore

2) Sears “Cadillac” Store



Over 40,000 attended the 1959 grand opening of West Bay Street's Sears, Roebuck and Company store. This department store was a towering five stories and 260,000 square feet in size. This, along with the fact that this location was home to the largest auto accessory department in the nature, gave this Sears its nickname—“The Cadillac Store.” This department store was also the first of its kind to feature a sit-down restaurant and a personal surface parking lot. By 1972, it was the leading location in volume of sales in the retail chain's 13-state Southeast territory. However, downtown's decline during the late 1970s and a chance to relocate to Regency Square Mall, led to the store's closure in 1981.