LINCOLN -- Lincoln businessman Doug Shumard found it frustrating that Lincoln residents were going out of town to shop at Sears stores. So, he did a little homework, made a few phone calls and on Wednesday he will open a 5,000-square-foot Sears retail store at 2790 Woodlawn Road in Lincoln.

"I just think Sears is a great company and has been over the years," Shumard said. "And I love the city of Lincoln. I want to help Lincoln and support the city. I felt this would be a great opportunity for myself, my family and our residents and I've had a lot of fun getting this established."

Shumard said he is still in the process of stocking the store, but it will have plenty of the name-brand items that the stores in the surrounding area offer. Kenmore appliances and Craftsman tools will be available and shoppers will be able to use a Sears credit card for purchases.

What impressed Shumard was the way in which the company handled the process of bringing a store to Lincoln.

"There is an interview process for prospective owners that is more than five hours long," Shumard said. "The first three hours focuses mainly on the potential owner's integrity and honesty. … You really need to care about your customers. You need to build relationships with them and they will keep coming back and they will tell their friends and family, too. And one of the key focal points for Sears was how much their owners put back into the community."

No major celebrations are planned for the opening of the store. Those will come soon, though.

"We like to open the store for about a month and make sure everything is up and running smoothly," Shumard said. "… With the opening of the store, there are so many details you need to focus on right away, it's best that we hold off on that and then plan for something very special."