Lowes Welcomes A Major Brand and Only Those Missing Sears Care

Growing up, I remember hitting up small-town hardware stores for quick needs like electrical tape or a pack of screws. If we wanted something fancier, we would head to the local mall and peruse Sears’ bigger selection of pretty tools and yard machines. Despite my mother’s grumbling comments about the cost of lawn mower parts, the tools still all felt so glamorous under those retail lights.

In the age of Home Depot, Lowes and Walmart —not to mention online shopping — times have changed, and we no longer browse for tools the way we once did. Brands like Craftsman, which weren’t available at the larger one-stop mega-home stores, floundered. So, it was no shocker when Sears announced that the classic tool brand was recently sold to the fine folks at Black and Decker. Lowe’s has since stepped up to the plate and announced that you’ll see the Craftsman name on their shelves, starting in 2018.

That’s not the only brand name that Sears lost recently. In addition to selling off Craftsman, they also said goodbye to Whirlpool. Although the two companies have worked hand-in-hand for 101 years, apparently they were unable to reach a new pricing agreement. On the one hand Sears —like many large retail outlets — wanted to offer deep discounts to woo customers. Whirlpool balked, since the price of parts and labor aren’t getting any cheaper. The two just couldn’t see eye to eye, and decided to part ways.

It’s the end of an era. Are you happy that Craftsman will go to Lowes, or am I the only one with Sears and Craftsman nostalgia?