Sears will close its doors at Shoppingtown Mall by the end of July. 

"Sears is on a death spiral," said Syracuse University Professor of Supply Chain Practice Patrick Penfield.

The news came Thursday as the company announced 63 closures throughout the nation- three in New York. One closure is leaving the DeWitt mall without any anchor stores. 

"When the anchor stores close, it's bad news for the rest of the stores," said Camillus Resident Maragaret Hoover.

Most recently anchors Macy's and J.C. Penny left the mall in 2015-16. Currently, the more than 100,000 square foot mall has 55 stores remaining. 

"And I know it's because internet shopping is taking the place of going into the stores but it's nice to be able to look touch and feel," said Hoover.

"The malls that will survive are the ones that change into entertainment malls-- they'll be offering restaurants and entertainment that will encourage people to come there," said Penfield.

But the uncertain fate of the mall has been on the Town of DeWitt's radar for some time. In April, the town planning board considered rezoning to allow mixed-use development.  They said depending on the size of the project redevelopment could take anywhere from one year to a decade. 

"It [Shoppingtown Mall] will not survive. It will be a strip mall in five years, without a doubt.  There's just not enough stores to support it. That structure is just not conducive to how people shop today," said Penfield.

We are awaiting responses from Shoppingtown's parent company Moonbeam and the Town of DeWitt Supervisor.