I remember the drive downtown from West Seattle, past Harbor Island, and along the waterfront to the huge Sears building where we bought appliances and toys and probably other things that I don't remember from all of those years ago. Now I think that building is Starbucks HQ. There was a Montgomery Ward further north and up the hill, off of 1st or 2nd Avenue, if I recall the streets correctly. And there was a J.C. Penny's on California Ave in West Seattle where we went to buy fabric and patterns. There was also a Kress or Newberry's dime store (or probably one of each on California, they often times were opposite each other) down there. All gone. I could recognize the layout of the dimestore with the double sets of stairs down to the basement even if they became something else over the years. Like knowing a building was an IHOP or a Dairy Queen or a Sonic Drivein.

When we moved to Everett, there was a Sears and a Penny's and Kress and Newberrys downtown, and I think a Monty Ward also. But then the malls happened and stuff moved down there and abandoned the downtown. I never liked the mall stores as well as the downtown stores.

I have several appliances here purchased at Sears and lots of lots of tools, as Joe mentioned. I've bought household goods there, and my son seemed to favor their t-shirt section when he was in high school. I've in more recent years ordered a number of things online and had them delivered to the store. I think they've been changing, just not fast enough to suit many shoppers.