Sears, Roebuck and Company
As a child Christmas had three important
elements for me: Christ Jesus, Santa Claus, and the Sears,
Roebuck catalog. While I held the birth of Jesus in all
reverence, Santa’s coming held great expectation, and it
was the Christmas edition of the Sears, Roebuck catalog
that brought wonder to the season.
We would receive this special edition approximately two
months before Christmas. I always went directly to the toy
section studying possibilities from Santa. I’d mark certain
items in the hope Mother and Daddy would get the message.
On Christmas morning I usually received many of the items
that were in the family’s budget and most of my dreaming
came true. This was a glorious time. There seemed to be a
special glow in the room from the tree lights, silver
tinsel, and glossy balls and enhanced by Mother’s and
Daddy’s satisfied smiles.
Throughout the year it was the big Sears, Roebuck catalog
that was of greater importance. Since there were no large
department stores near by, the mail order catalog became
the mode of shopping. This was a huge book about two inches
thick and was organized in departments covering everything
from shoes to the Bible. I remember Sears, Roebuck’s
Allstate Automotive Insurance and its popular Diehard
automotive battery. Prices always seemed fair. We would
check the catalog for its price before purchasing an item
from any other business.
When the new catalog came each year, we could spend hours
just “look” shopping. The old catalog was found to be
useful out back.
I did a little research on how Sears, Roebuck started and
what I found might be interesting to you:
Richard W. Sears was a railroad agent in North Redwood,
Minneapolis. A Chicago jewelry company shipped an order of
gold filled watches to a Minneapolis jewelry store.
When the jewelry store refused delivery, Mr. Sears decided
to purchase the shipment and try to sell the watches
himself. This proved to be successful, and he began a
company known as R.W. Sears Watch Company. A year later he
placed an advertisement in the newspaper for a
watchmaker. The ad received a response from a man named
Alvah C. Roebuck. Sears hired Roebuck and 7 years
later the corporate name of the firm became Sears, Roebuck
and Company.
Business turned out to be very profitable for the company
and in the 1890's the mail order industry for Sears,
Roebuck and Co. began. Sears, Roebuck introduced a mail
order catalog that offered shoes, women's garments, wagons,
fishing tackle, stoves, furniture, saddles, bicycles, and
more that helped customers in rural areas purchase
merchandise they might not have been able to purchase
otherwise.