From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for March 25, 1987:

• Sears this week became the second store to announce a verbal commitment to locate a store in the proposed downtown Lawrence mall. The plans called for three “anchor” department stores in the mall that was planned for the 600 block of downtown. A spokesman for the development company said that Sears’ agreement was similar to that made by Dillards, which had given a verbal commitment in August. Negotiations were continuing with an unnamed third store.
• Meanwhile, a Kansas University study on the impact of shopping malls showed that Lawrence’s local per capita spending on such things as clothing, furniture, sporting goods, and books was much lower than other college towns. The study did not attempt to determine whether money on such purchases was going to stores outside of Lawrence.