How does an American icon die?

Does it go down swinging?

Does it go quietly into the night?

Sears, Robuck and Company was once the biggest retailer in the world.

You could buy your work boots there, get your car fixed, get your whole damn house

there.

For over a century, Sears was a brand that meant something.

It was part of America's identity.

But all good things must come to an end, and the end of Sears has not been pretty.

So when Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October, there was significant

uncertainty about what would happen to the company in the future, whether there would

be any future at all.

And so there was thousands of tens of thousands of employees whose jobs were at risk.

There were hundreds of stores still, although Sears is much smaller than it used to be.

And so there are major stakes to be had in deciding the fate of Sears.

And so many people's livelihoods still depended on it, and many people still shop there.

Nathan Bohmey is a business reporter at USA Today.

He's been sitting in Sears bankruptcy court.

On one side, you had the creditors of Sears.

We're talking about the major mall owners like Simon and Property Group that don't want

Sears around anymore.

They want the space in their malls to be able to lease out to other people.

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