I was born in Detroit, and all the Sears stores there were modern and boring, even in the 1950s. I moved to Racine, Wisconsin, in 1958. Racine had an old-style Sears and Roebuck store on Main Street downtown. It had wooden floors and tables full of "dry goods" that had a certain old-time smell. That store didn't last long, though. By the early 1960s, it was vacant - replaced by a modern, sterile Sears store on the outskirts of town.

But to the end, the tool departments at Sears have been paradises for tinkerers like me. I've always loved the quality of Craftsman tools, and it was a good day when I fulfilled my dream of having a 245-piece Craftsman socket set. Better yet was the day when I acquired a shiny red Craftsman garden tractor. Oh, and have I told you about my 10-inch Craftsman miter saw? Now Craftsman is sold by Lowe's and by Ace hardware, so Craftsman tools will go on without Sears.

But the Lowe's and Ace tool departments don't compare to what you could find in a good Sears. And no doubt, the special sales on tools won't be as good. I wonder if my lifetime warranties will last a lifetime, once Sears is gone.

-Joe-