Shop at Sears - Corner of Rudisill Blvd. and South Clinton Streets

Postcard of Sears on Rudisill, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Originally uploaded by kristinafh

Raise your hand if you remember Sears on Rudisill!

Me! ME! ME!!!!

Located at the corners of Rudisill Boulevard and South Clinton Street, this was a special place for us to shop. It was huge. It had a ton of stuff. It was such a staple of the south side of Fort Wayne.

My grandparents told me that Sears & Roebuck used to be located downtown, next to the Fort Wayne National Bank Building. After several issues (including a fire and a partial building collapse), they got the heck out of dodge I guess.

I remember that this Clinton/Rudisill location closed because Sears wanted to be in the middle of shopping heaven - aka Southtown Mall. That was like (thinks) early 80's.

This building sat vacant for a long time. And then, sometime in the late 80's, Sears telecatalog came through and occupied some of the building.

Then that went away - 1993 I think?

And then I thought I heard that the welfare department occupied the building.

Also heard that McLeodUSA had some call centers they were going to open up here?

Don't know - lost touch with what was happening with the building about ten years ago.

I meant to stop and take pictures of it in May - but ran out of time. I wonder if the old building still looks the same?

P.S. Did you know that our very own Fort Wayne Santa spent his Christmas holidays here - before he migrated back downtown to Wolf & Dessauer?