The Bowling Green Sears Hometown Store has recently expanded its operations at the Woodland Mall.
"We more than doubled our space," said Timothy Wilkins, the store’s owner. "We completely
updated everything."
The store located in the north wing of the mall expanded into previously open spaces. Wilkins said the
customers are enjoying the new decor, which includes new fixtures, flooring and wall decorations.
Wilkins said the expansion took a couple of years in the planning stage.
The store also expanded its brands and lines of merchandise, notably in the appliances carried.
In addition to the traditional Sears brands of Craftsman tools and Kenmore appliances, he said they now
carry a wider variety of appliances as well as new lines in beds, mattresses and box springs.
"We carry a wide assortment of all the standard brands. We have a real nice variety," he said,
pointing to the increased assortment of display models on the floor.
Another proud feature for Wilkins is the new customer self-serve kiosk near the store’s entrance.
Customers obviously can order online from any computer; however, Wilkins said one advantage of ordering
within the store is freedom from all shipping charges. The shipping may be done direct to someone’s home
or for pick-up at the store at the mall.
In addition, while in the store, the BG location will meet or beat any price from all Sears, including
online, from the catalog, retail or outlet stores.
Wilkins said the store is drawing from a large area of Northwest Ohio due to the closings of other
stores. As a "Hometown Store," Sears does not own the business and Wilkins operates as a
franchise of the company. The Bowling Green site is a "hard line" operation and carries an
assortment of products and parts. Some spring and summer patio, lawn and garden items are starting to
arrive. Though the store does not stock apparel, all of those items are available for purchase through
the kiosk.
"You can order anything Sears offers," he said. "We continue to provide service,
installation and set-up."
In-store offerings include small items priced under $1 all the way to top-of-the-line appliances and
equipment worth thousands.
If cash is limited for a customer, Wilkins said they offer several payment options including layaway or
financing with no interest. They also offer leasing options including lease-to-own.
"We take cash, too," Wilkins said. "We sell anything Sears offers. If you don’t see it, we
can get it."
While a grand-reopening was previously held, additional merchandise is still coming in. The store will
soon feature televisions and other electronics as well as a variety of brand-name cell phones.
Along with the growth in merchandise and floor space, Wilkins said he has also hired additional staff.

Business hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5
p.m. on Sunday.
"This has been a big investment," Wilkins said. "The mall worked with us and we hope this
will stir some new interest in the mall."