WARSAW — The Sears Hometown Store is in the midst of closing.

Owner Ken Ashpole is closing the store at 2816 Frontage Road in the Marketplace of Warsaw shopping center. He is retiring, according to store manager Lou Augustine.

Augustine said she has managed the Warsaw store for the past seven and a half years.

“It’s sad,” she said. “But I understand he wants to retire.” She mentioned this is her first experience overseeing a store closing.

The closing sales started Saturday, Feb. 28. The sales will continue until the store closes on Friday, April 10. Sale discounts will gradually increase as the store nears its closing date. All sales are final. The store accepts all regular forms of payment except American Express and checks.

The Sears Hometown Store is independent of the nationwide mall anchor store chain that has shuttered many of its locations.

Despite being a separate entity, sharing the Sears name “really hurt us,” said Augustine.

The closing of the Sears Hometown Store is the second store in the Marketplace of Warsaw to announce its closure this year. The Pier 1 Imports Warsaw store confirmed its closing in January. Other stores that have already closed at the shopping center in the past few years include Carson’s in 2018 and Payless Shoes in 2019.

Augustine mentioned the closing of Carson’s and Payless aided in the downfall of the Warsaw Sears Hometown Store.

Retail locations currently in the shopping center include Dunham’s Discount Sports, Claire’s, and Bath and Body Works.