The lights at Sears in the Schuylkill Mall went out at 12:42 p.m. Sunday on the department store chain's last day of business after some 85 years in Schuylkill County.

Sears originally operated a department store in downtown Pottsville and later moved to the Schuylkill Mall when the mall opened in 1980."It's sad. A lot of generations worked in that Sears and I was hoping my daughter would some day, too, but now she can't," Bonni Conrad, 28, of Shenandoah, said Sunday.Conrad was on her way to pick up her grandmother from her last day of working at Sears. Conrad said she had also worked for the same Sears until two years ago."I worked there for just under five years. It's a shame," she said.A handful of employees who gathered in front of the Sears sign outside of the building to take a photo remembering their last day on the job declined to comment."The store had 84 employees. Those who are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores," Howard Riefs, director of corporate communications for Sears Holding Corp., which owns both chains, said in an email on Oct. 17, 2014.While employees may be eligible to work at Kmart stores, Bob Bashago, 74, of Tuscarora, said he worries that the Schuylkill Mall Kmart also may be in jeopardy."I think the Kmart might close, too. It's going to hurt the mall really bad," Bashago said.However, there has been no announcement regarding a closing of Kmart.Bashago was at the mall particularly to shop at Sears."That's the reason we came up for Sears. Otherwise we'd be in Hazleton," he said.Bashago said he relied on Sears for many of his shopping needs, often including weather-related equipment."I enjoyed shopping at Sears. I went there for everything I needed for my lawn mower and snowblower," he said.Marie Wiscount, 55, and Sonny Wiscount, 56, both of Hegins, said they also relied on Sears for, according to Marie, "appliances, clothes and everything."She added, "It's a shame. All of the stores are closing. What do we have around here?"Sonny Wiscount said they will travel to another Sears for what they would have driven to the Schuylkill Mall Sears for."They built this huge building and you walk around and it's empty," Marie Wiscount said. "You used to see the elderly walk around the mall for exercise but not much anymore."Sears announced the closing of its Schuylkill Mall store on Oct. 15, 2014, to mall manager Elaine Maneval and started liquidation on Oct. 30.The store was one of the mall's original anchor stores, opening in 1980. It occupied 112,800 square feet, Maneval said in October.Previously, anchors Hess' Department Store and a Phar-Mor store closed their doors at the mall. Their spaces today are occupied by Black Diamond Antiques and Dunham's Sports, respectively.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC