Bellbrook church buys former Sears store at Dayton Mall

Crossroads Church recently bought the former Sears store in the Dayton Mall for local services, a representative of the church said.

“It’s our plan to make that a permanent location in Dayton,” said Erin Caproni, a spokeswoman for the church.

The church today is offering Sunday services in Bellbrook Middle School on Feedwire Road, according to its web site. Caproni said the church has been using rented facilities in the area.

The church does not have a timeline for moving into the former store yet, she said. “We’re working to kind of figure out plans for renovating the space and working with some contractors to put together an estimate and a timeline.”

The church has multiple locations in Ohio and Kentucky, including Mason, Columbus and Florence.

Sears Holdings announced the planned closing of its Dayton Mall store in late September 2018, placing the store among 46 locations the company had then deemed “unprofitable.”

Sears once had been a dominant presence in the Miami Valley, but by 2018, the company had closed or planned to close more than 630 stores across the United States.

Catherine Williams — director of marketing for real estate firm Colliers, the firm that helped broker the property’s purchase on behalf of the seller — said the space is 166,760 square feet. Colliers executives Todd Cochran, Norm Khoury and Justin Rex were involved in the transaction.

“The Sears has been closed since November of 2018 and having a new reputable tenant to takes its place is a great sign for the area,” Williams said.

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