A local man is planning on opening a Sears Hometown Store in a Lightfoot shopping center near Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt.
John Jakob, the owner of the Sears Hometown Store, said he hopes to have a soft opening in mid-November with a grand opening in January. A Sears Hometown Store sells many of the goods that can be found at a traditional Sears, including appliances, lawn and garden, bedding, tools, outdoor furniture and grills, exercise equipment and more.
“You’re going to have everything with the exception of clothing, but in a smaller, shopper-friendly, community-friendly format,” Jakob said.
He said work is ongoing at the site where the store will open to get the more than 10,000 square-foot space ready for business. In addition to a range of goods, the store will offer parts and service and the ability to order items and have them shipped to and installed in homes.
The Sears Hometown Store is the latest step in smaller offerings by the company. Jakob said the concept evolved from the Sears Catalog Store.
“They leverage everything that is Sears,” Jakob said. “All of Sears’ buying power, all of their brands, all of their advertising power, all of their services. It’s available at the hometown store, and it’s a smaller footprint serving communities.”
Jakob, who will manage the new store, said it should create about seven jobs.
He said he is thankful for help from James City County staff in making the process to establish himself as a business owner an easy one. He also thanked RJS Associates for finding the location and other work, Chesapeake Bank for assisting with financing and Williamsburg Chrysler for helping Jakob find a company truck.
“It’s been a great experience working with all of these local companies and local businesses to bring together this hometown concept,” he said.
Jakob was in the hardwood floor business for 27 years before this venture.
The shopping center where the store will be located is on the 6600 block of Richmond Road. The project is currently winding its way through the James City County Planning staff, who are tasked with analyzing the project to determine if it’s a proper use of land.
There are currently Sears Hometown Stores in Gloucester County, Tappahannock, Kilmarnock and Franklin. Jakob’s store marks the concept’s first foray into the Historic Triangle. There are more than 900 Sears Hometown Stores located throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, according to Sears’ website.
