After the publication of an article about Laramie's Sears Hometown closing, Heidi Wood reached out to Laramie Live to talk about her own experience with the company.

Wood was a Sears Hometown franchise owner in Oregon whose stores have been recently shut down, despite them turning a profit.

Wood owned three locations in central Oregon. She says that before she could renew her franchise contract, Sears Hometown required that she find a new location and sign a five year lease. Within a week of the relocation, an auditor was sent to Wood's store and found enough contract violations to shut down the store.

Though Wood's name was on the lease, Sears Hometown owns the appliances still in the building, which have been locked up since the store's closure, creating a legal dispute. A similar legal disagreement has cropped up in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Brent and Minena Turley, the former owners of six Sears Hometown stores in Texas, have filed a lawsuit against the company for economic duress, breach of contract, and unfair competition. Back in 2017, a judge found that couple had valid claims in the lawsuit.