POTSDAM -- With Sears stores closing around the nation, Sears Hometown Store owner Phil Vivlamore is assuring customers that his location will not be affected.

“I want to assure our customers that we are here to stay and we are going to continue to provide the Potsdam and surrounding communities with the same great products, exceptional customer service, and wonderful shopping experience they have come to expect,” he said.

Sears Hometown locations operate under Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc., which separated from Sears Holdings Corporation in October 2012 and is an independent, publicly-traded company (NASDAQ: SHOS).

The closings of Sears Holdings Corporate Stores, mostly located in mall locations, have no bearing on the stand-alone Hometown and Outlet Stores, Vivlamore said.

“We provide professional advice, exceptional service, and real time price checks to make sure customers get the guaranteed lowest prices around,” Vivlamore said.

Sears Hometown Stores severed relations with full-line Sears stores in 2012. The only relationship we have with Sears Holdings is the name and we provide services for Sears credit cards and services for warranties on products purchased at Sears.

The recent selling of Craftsman to Black & Decker leaves the Sears Hometown Store with a five-year exclusive right to new products and will continue to warranty Craftsman Hand Tools.

“We take pride in making our customers feel like they are walking into a mom and pop store,” he said. “We know our customers, and our customers know us. The only difference between us and a true mom and pop store is we can offer competitive pricing on national brands. We also serve as a third-party server for searshometownstores.com and sears.com which means if a shopper orders a large product online, they can pick those items up at the store or have them delivered by our team.”

Currently, there are 1,200 Sears Hometown Stores nationally and that number will increase.

Every time a Sears Holdings store closes, most likely than not, a Sears Hometown store opens in that area, Vivlamore said. “Sears Hometown stores are thriving and our store is no exception,” he said.

“I believe our relationship with our customers is top-notch because not only do we take pride in the products we sell we truly appreciate the customers we serve,” he said. “There’s not a lot of stores out there you can say the owner sold me a tractor, but at our store you can.”