International Malls: Sears in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico - 1972
Sears Shopping Center in the Hato Rey business district in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1972. If I didn't know it, I'd assume this was a shopping center somewhere in the U.S., wouldn't you? Looks like maybe Florida or something. Either way it just goes to show that retail Swank is universal! ...Or was, at any rate.
And man, that classic old-style Sears script logo sure looks nice. Always reminds me of my childhood whenever I see it--similar to Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, and Kmart, to name a few more.
(photo courtesy & © University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries)
Labels: 1972, International, Puerto Rico, San Juan, Sears
posted by Keith @ 4/03/2007
9 Comments:
If I didn't know, I'd also place this photo somewhere in the Southern US. The only giveaway would be the flag, if you can recognize the Puerto Rican flag at a glance (I can't).
Of course, Puerto Rico is very US dominated, but the similarities are still astounding.
Had me fooled. Aside from the flag, I too, would have thought this was from someplace warm like Florida.
Sears needs to reistate that script logotype as their trademark. I believe that a retailer's image is not just projected through store interior appearances and layout, but also through the corporate identity (the print logos and signage) they use.
My local Sears (West Hartford, CT) used to look just like that. It was built in 1961, outside any mall (Westfarms came in 1974) and had the script logo. In many ways, it still looks like that today, having received little renovation over the ages. Nice image; those blues are nicely calyptic and 60s all-the-way.
My husband is from Puerto Rico (his parents were born there and still live there). I too thought this was Florida. Having never actually been to PR myself, I have seen numerous pics my husband has shown me and a lot of buildings look like this. Very elegant with bright colors.
Puerto Rico is also a US commonwealth so a lot of major retailers that reside here in the US also have places in PR such as Home Depot, Sears and other big boxes.
The Sears by my grandma's house looked just like that!
P.S. She didn't live in San Juan!
If you look closely at the Ford truck to the left, you will see that it has a PR license plate (the island with numbers on the inside). The license plate plus the flag...yep, Puerto Rico.
I used to live in Puerto Rico. I remember the Sears store well, as I lived about 7 or 8 minutes away in Rio Piedras. My parents bought me my Bar Mitzvah suit there!
No doubt about it, Sears should go back to that logo. It's evocative, it's stylish, it's wonderful.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think I could spot my parents old car in the parking lot.
Thanks for posting this picture.
Wow, I remember THAT store. The first full size Sears in Puerto Rico. Was closed in 1978 when they opened in nearby Plaza las Américas.
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