Sears closed its doors at the Schuylkill Mall on Sunday, but the Schuylkill County Historical Society will soon have a memorial of sorts to the store in the research room at its downtown Pottsville headquarters.

Recently, society representatives OK'd an expenditure of $1,351.25 to buy shoe racks, filing cabinets and other displays Sears was selling during the store's liquidation, Thomas B. Drogalis, the society's full-time executive director, said Monday.With moving costs donated by Leiby's Dairy, Tamaqua a Freightliner truck with a 24-foot box driven by Leiby's employee Dennis Yasembousky, MaryD Drogalis and two society volunteers went to the mall to buy the items and then they hauled the shelving from the truck and into the society's headquarters at 305 N. Centre St.Drogalis and society volunteers are hoping to complete their reorganization at the research room over the next week and a half."We'll see how sore we are tomorrow when we all wake up," Drogalis said.He said it wasn't easy moving the furniture from Sears into the truck and then moving it from the truck into the society's headquarters.The society bought 20 items. The items and the cost, according to the receipt Drogalis received, include two glass case displays at $50 each; one universal display, $50; four shoe racks with end caps, $120 each; a $40 filing cabinet; a $50 filing cabinet; a $100 locker; a $50 bunker; two T-stands, $40 total; a quad, $40; six auto poles, $40 each plus tax."We bought the stuff in December, but we thought it would be prudent to move it when the store was closed," Drogalis said.While moving wooden shelves used in the store's shoe department, Bill Webber, Pottsville, a member of the society's board of directors, said he bought the boots he was wearing at Sears."You ever buy shoes at Sears? I did all the time. Look here," Webber said, pointing to his black leather Caterpillar brand work boots.Allen Frantz, Cumbola, a member of the society's board of directors, was also there to help.The items were loaded into the "Schuylkill County Meeting House," which is the meeting room on the first floor of the society's headquarters.Most of the items the society bought will be used to reorganize its research room, which is across the hall. The book shelves on the north side and the east side of the research room will be replaced, Drogalis said."What we're focusing on is function and accessibility," Drogalis said."And right now it looks more like a warehouse than a library," Webber, the society's curator, said."You can see how tight everything is now on those old gorilla racks," Drogalis said, referring to the vintage shelving on the north side of the room.Those racks will be replaced by the wooden shelving that Sears used to display shoes. They stand more than 4 feet high and come in 8-foot sections."And they are sturdy," Drogalis said.The two tables in the center of the room will tentatively remain there, Drogalis said."And we're going to centralize all the microfilm," he added.The desk used by the society's former director of research, a volunteer position that was eliminated in late 2014, will be moved across the hall to the meeting room for the time being, Drogalis said.Nothing will be thrown out. "It will be reused," Drogalis said. For example, he said the vintage "gorilla racks" will be used by the society for storage elsewhere in the building.During the reorganization, the research room will remain open during the society's hours of operation."We'll be able to accommodate researchers, within reason. We ask them to be patient with us during the moving process," Drogalis said.The society started improvements to the research room late last year. In December, the society upgraded the lighting on the first floor of its headquarters with LEDs, Drogalis said.Sears opened in Schuylkill County nearly 85 years ago. Sears opened its first department store in the county in Pottsville in May 1930. Two smaller satellite stores followed in Tamaqua and Tower City. They have since closed. The Pottsville store shut its doors in October 1980 when Sears opened at the then newly constructed Schuylkill Mall in Frackville.In other matters concerning the historical society, the building that's been its headquarters since 2001, the former Female Grammar School in Pottsville, will turn 150 this year, Drogalis said, adding the society is planning a celebration.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC