To the casual shopper, Sears, one of America’s oldest retailers, may appear to be on life support. The department store chain that once reinvented how Americans shopped now barely has a ...

Sears and Kmart once dominated the retail landscape. When the companies merged in 2005, they had nearly 3,500 stores. For context, that’s more stores than Target, Macy’s and Lowe’s currently operate.

Less than a year after it reopened, a Washington state Sears store is closing again, as the retailer’s national vanishing act has become more stark in recent months. The Sears store at Union Gap’s ...