Jackson Free Press

With future generations of Jacksonians potentially left with no place to buy Wrangler jeans, Kardashian Kollection accessories, large appliances and power saws, a city of Jackson-sponsored effort is now afoot to prevent the closure of the Sears department store at Metrocenter Mall.

Disappointing sales during an otherwise busy Christmas shopping season prompted the store's parent company Sears Holdings Corp. to shutter more than 100 Sears and Kmart stores nationwide. The number included three Sears locations in the Magnolia State.

City officials responded by launching an online petition to "Save Our Sears," available by visiting http://www.change.org/petitions/save-our-sears. A statement on the petition website argues for maintaining the store, citing a public-private Highway 80 economic-development effort now underway as well as the impending relocation of 300 city workers to property the city owns at the mall.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. has anchored Metrocenter Mall since the shopping center opened in 1978. As a result of steady decline as newer shopping centers were developed outside Jackson, Sears remains the last of two retail anchors, along with Burlington Coat Factory. No closing date for any of the stores has been announced.

At a recent Community-Oriented Policing Strategies (COPS) meeting in south Jackson, residents expressed frustration over Sears, the last major department store left in the city, pulling so many stores out of Mississippi.

"At least leave us the one in the capital city," one resident stated.

Another Jackson Sears petition can be located at ipetitions.com by searching Metrocenter Mall.

The city is planning to move some of its offices into the old Belk store in Metrocenter, but The Clarion-Ledger reported two weeks ago that the city delayed the move to install wiring in the building. Upgrading the wiring will push the move back to later this month or possibly February.