The Greenbrier Valley is losing a long standing business – Sears Hometown.
In a social media post on Thursday, January 20, the store called on customers to come to a “Store Closing Blowout Sale.”
“We are sad to announce that the Ronceverte, West Virginia, store will be closing permanently. Effective January 21, 2022, the store will go into liquidation,” reads the post.
The post includes a sale graphic, explaining that the Sears Hometown Store would hold a “Store Closing Blowout Sale while supplies last. All sales final. 8484 Seneca Trail S, Ronceverte. No checks accepted, with exception of Sears Credit Card Payments.”
The post was 112 times shared on social media, as of January 21.
According to the Mountain Messenger, the store was named the 2011 Sears Hometown Store Premier Dealer, recognizing stores that “consistently offer the greatest customer service.” The article notes that “in April 2011, the Ronceverte store was one of only 372 locations throughout the U.S. to receive this national recognition.” At the time, the store was owned and operated by Greenbrier Valley resident Wes Hylton, according to the Messenger.
Under Hylton, the store continued through the widely reported Sears bankruptcy. On October 16, 2018, Hylton posted “rest assured the announcement of the Sears Holdings bankruptcy does not include us! We are a separately traded, separately managed company and honestly we have been planning and securing our own future for sometime as SHC’s bankruptcy seemed inevitable. … Thank you for your time and understanding and as always… Shop local.”
In October 2020, Hylton posted to social media “as of [October 31, 2020], I will no longer be operating Sears.”
On August 3, 2021, the store shared another post, offering interested parties a potential deal.
“Have you ever wanted to own a business but the start-up cost was just too high? We now have the Sears Hometown store in Ronceverte, West Virginia, for sale! And what if I told you that you could purchase this business for less than $20,000? You run the business, Sears supplies the merchandise and you make a commission on every sale!”
Despite this, the January 20 post makes the future of the local store seem set.
District Manager Jamey Jones referred any questions to the Sears corporate office when asked for further comment by The West Virginia Daily News.
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