BACK IN STYLE IN THE SUBURBS

By WENDY COLE/GLEN BURNIE

The large bin of holiday pillows empties out almost as quickly as the staff can replenish it. Across the floor the supply of a dozen treadmills is getting dangerously low. And forget about buying an electric wreath or 3-D star for Christmas. Gone.

Even the most loyal Sears workers at the new store in suburban Glen Burnie, Maryland, can hardly believe it as they watch merchandise disappearing from their stores faster than they can spell R-E-B-O-U-N-D. Three years ago, the company was closing stores and slashing its work force. On a single day last month, 10 new Sears stores opened, including this glistening emporium anchoring the Marley Station mall in suburban Baltimore, Maryland. Store manager Leslie Wendorf, 43, who has worked at Sears for nearly two-thirds of her life, still can't get over "how much fun I am having" at a job that once bored her. Rick Demert, who manages the appliances-and-electronics department in Glen Burnie, was leery about joining the company his own dad toiled at for 32 years. "I didn't know if the company was going to make it," says Demert, 26. But when he did start work three years ago, the new college grad soon realized he was part of a colossal corporate makeover: "Everything has changed. It has become a compelling place to work, to shop and to invest in."

When the new 139,000-sq.-ft. store opened, shoppers wondered if they'd wandered into the wrong place. Visitors are struck by racks of sequined evening gowns, stylish suits and hip outfits for teens. "People look confused when they come in for the first time," says Wendorf. Tammy Ray, 31, wasn't confused but pleasantly surprised as she studied the huge jewelry case. "My grandmother told me it was nice," said Ray. Susan Brenton, 41, shopping for her 13-year-old daughter, said, "I'd have never thought to buy her pants at Sears. But recently she got herself some," a teenage testament to the store's fashion makeover.

Such consumer epiphanies have been keeping Glen Burnie managers smiling. The sales plan calls for store revenue to reach $7.2 million this month. Wendorf is confident they will exceed it.

--By Wendy Cole/Glen Burnie