The world may say goodbye to Sears, but the company's assemble-it-yourself homes will live on.
Kit houses were available in Sears’ catalog books from 1908 to 1940. Shoppers could flip through the pages to select their perfect, affordable homes. The kits came with all the lumber and hardware needed as well as building instructions.
These homes may soon be the only reminder left of the retail giant, as its parent company, Sears Holdings, has raised a discussion on liquidation. The original Sears kit houses are scattered across the country, and there are some in West Michigan.
In Wyoming, Joe Dieleman is currently selling a Sears Clyde model which he bought from his parents in 1998.
"It was built in the late 1920s during the slowdown," said Dieleman. "I was shocked because of the uniqueness of the house. It's unlike a lot of the houses in the area."
Sears Holdings has accepted a revised, $4.4 billion takeover from its own CEO, Eddie Lampert, and board members are asking a bankruptcy judge to allow them to accept the offer and keep stores open. If the judge approves their request, 425 stores would remain open and at least 50,000 workers employed.
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