The closing of Sears in the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute is bringing back memories of when the store was in downtown Appleton for decades.
Dave Kalz is with the Appleton Historical Society. He says the first location was near the corner of College Avenue and Oneida Street.
He says the retailer then moved to the 300 block of W. College Avenue. That building later became Park Central, across the street from the Red Lion Hotel Paper Valley.
Kalz remembers some quirky displays at the Sears store. He says they include a fountain the basement with a moose above it, and a clear washing machine with poker chips inside. He says there also used to be a frozen pig inside a chest freezer.
Sears moved from downtown Appleton to the Fox River Mall in the 1980s. The retailer announced last Friday that the store will close in March.
