Saying Goodbye to Sears

One way or another, downtown Vancouver’s esthetically challenged Sears edifice is sure to blow. Novelty tissue dispenser. Giant prop for movies about dystopian futures plagued by hideous architecture. Build a second one and hang a “Women’s” sign on it.

Old Sears building Vancouver | BCBusiness
The heat-panel exterior of the Sears building in downtown Vancouver seems to have been inspired by a Star Trek esthetic.

One way or another, downtown Vancouver’s esthetically challenged Sears edifice is sure to blow.

Novelty tissue dispenser. Giant prop for movies about dystopian futures plagued by hideous architecture. Build a second one and hang a “Women’s” sign on it.

These are just a few solid options for the Sears building in downtown Vancouver, now that the primary tenant is vacating. Certainly the demise of the giant, white-tiled department store block is sad for over 300 employees, and I will miss the great watch-repair department. I’m also concerned about the safety of Sears staff. When the place closes – apparently in October – will they have time to get out before eager Vancouver vigilantes set off the dynamite?

Whatever they might build on that block bound by Georgia, Robson, Granville and Howe streets, you could probably finance future construction just by selling popcorn at the demolition. For too long the cold, dead hand of the ’70s has gripped the heart of downtown Vancouver. Someday the destruction of that monstrosity will be fondly recalled like the toppling of a hated tyrant. Children will dance. Old-timers will lay wreaths and make speeches. We will vow to never forget and to build a better tomorrow.

The closing of Sears marks the year’s second major crash on the Robson retail landscape, after the shuttering of HMV. A block and a half apart, the two closures represent entirely different case studies. One illustrates the near-complete revolution in consumer entertainment marketing, while the other is down to the pressure exerted upon old-school retail giants by volume discounters. The difference extends to the physical aftermath. HMV’s departure has reopened the issue of how to properly utilize its former home, the downtown landmark that once housed the civic library. The closing of Sears, on the other hand, should only reopen a giant crater full of free shower tiles.

There’s probably cosmic justice to be found in its end. Wal-Mart and its ilk have progressively destroyed the downtowns of North American cities by undercutting and bankrupting existing retail outlets. Now that Sears has been driven into cost-cutting mode, leading to the decision to close the Vancouver store, that same competition that destroyed small town centres may help to reclaim a dead zone in mid-Vancouver.

Or so we can hope. Reports suggest that owner Cadillac Fairview is searching for another single anchor tenant to occupy the 650,000-square-foot box. Hang in for a few more decades and the former Eaton’s building could become a flight simulator for Federation starship pilots. The heat-panel exterior and the semi-circular cockpit windows at the Georgia and Granville corner definitely seem to have been inspired by a Star Trek esthetic. If Cadillac Fairview can find a big-box retailer of one-piece Spandex outfits, even better.

Otherwise, the options seem limited. It would have to be something requiring plenty of space and very few windows. The Harper government’s crime crackdown and consequent need for more prison space suggests an idea. Having a highly visible Guantanamo West in the heart of downtown Vancouver could serve as a powerful deterrent to criminals. After all, few people wanted to enter the store even when they were allowed to leave freely. Imagine being locked up there.

Not too long ago there was another old Vancouver department store site that required reinvention. Unlike Woodward’s, though, the city does not own the Sears store. And we no longer have the late, great Jim Green to agitate for a bold vision. I have a feeling the world’s largest novelty tissue dispenser is not going anywhere just yet. But keep the dynamite ready, friends. I believe the day of liberation will surely come.