The Sears store and Sears Auto Center at Schuylkill Mall will close early next year, according to the firm.

"Store closures are part of a series of actions we're taking to reduce ongoing expenses, adjust our asset base, and accelerate the transformation of our business model," states a corporate announcement from Sears Holdings."These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail at the store, online and in the home."Affected will be 84 workers, local shoppers, and of course, a mall that struggles to retain its position as a regional shopping destination.It appears the Sears store has fallen victim to shifting shopping trends affecting malls everywhere.Schuylkill Mall, Frackville, opened on Oct. 9, 1980, by Crown American, a shopping center development company based in Johnstown.It boasted anchors such as Kmart, Hess's, Sears and later Phar-Mor and Pomeroy's, along with space for 115 stores.Things went well in the early days. Malls were the place to be. It was a time when gas was cheap and shoppers happily took a drive to rural malls to enjoy the convenience of one-stop shopping.Shoppers eschewed the old, 1950s downtowns with limited access and unwelcoming parking meters. Malls offered something downtowns couldn't match.At a mall, you could eat, shop, get your hair done, watch a movie and park free all day long.But the passing years haven't been kind to malls, including Schuylkill.One by one, stores began to close. New ones opened, but never replaced the original, large anchors.Still, Schuylkill is fortunate, It remains open, unlike many other malls now boarded up across the country.According to noted retail consultant Howard Davidowitz, half of America's shopping malls will fail in the coming years.Another source, Green Street Advisors, a real estate analytics firm, predicts about 15 percent of U.S. malls will fold or be converted to nonretail space within the next 10 years.Malls have become victims of changing shopping trends, losing their glamour to the exploding popularity of Internet shopping.Many downtowns are using the situation as an opportunity to lure shoppers back to the fold with "shop local" campaigns.It'll be interesting to watch the future of business and shopping patterns.Certainly e-commerce is deeply entrenched and will continue to be a dominant force.But there still is room for brick-and-mortar shops and stores that cater to savvy shoppers who want to see, feel and try on whatever they want to buy.Shopping trends will continue to evolve, and as they do, they'll alter our landscape in ways we can only imagine.By DONALD R. SERFASSdserfass@tnonline.com