Sears

Sears was a very big company. It started by selling things in books. People could pick items from these books. Then the shop sent them to your home.

Later, the company opened real stores.

They sold many things like tools and clothes. They even sold cars and bikes.

Sears grew to be very large. It was the biggest shop in the land. It had many stores in malls, too.

It even built a very tall tower in Chicago.

Today, the company is much smaller. Only a few stores are still open. It is different now than it was before. Do you like to shop in big stores?

Sears was a famous American company. It started in 1892. Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck founded it. At first, they sold items through a catalog. A catalog is a book of things for sale. People could order watches and jewelry by mail.

The company grew very fast. They added many items to their books. They sold sewing machines, bicycles, and even cars.

In 1925, they opened their first real stores. These stores were different from others. They were often in neighborhoods instead of city centers. They even had free parking for cars.

Sears became the largest retailer in the United States. They grew into many malls. They also had famous brands like Kenmore and Craftsman.

In 1974, they finished the Sears Tower in Chicago. It was the tallest building in the world.

Today, Sears is much smaller. Most of its stores have closed. Only five stores remain open in the U.S. as of late 2025.

The company now focuses on its real estate assets.

Sears was a very famous American company. It was a giant retailer that sold many different things. For a long time, it was the largest retailer in the United States. People knew it for its huge catalogs and big department stores. It even had its own famous brands like Kenmore and Craftsman. The company changed a lot over its long history. It went from selling watches by mail to owning massive buildings.

In the beginning, the company worked through a mail-order catalog. This is a book that shows many items for sale. Customers could look at the pages and order things by mail.

First, they sold jewelry and watches. Later, the catalogs grew much larger. By 1894, the catalog had 322 pages. It soon included sewing machines, bicycles, and even automobiles. By 1896, they even added dolls, stoves, and groceries.

Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck started the business. They founded the company in 1892.

Richard Sears began by selling watches in Minneapolis in 1886. He met Roebuck, a watch repairman, in that same year. They moved their business to Chicago in 1887. Later, Julius Rosenwald joined the company. He helped it grow into a massive business. In 1906, the company became a public company. This was a very big event in American financial history.

Sears grew into many different types of businesses. In 1925, they opened their very first retail department store.

These stores were often in neighborhoods rather than city centers. This was a new idea at the time. They also built many stores in malls after World War II. In 1931, they started Allstate Insurance Company. They also owned the David Bradley Plow company. This allowed them to make tools like riding mowers and chainsaws. In 1974, they finished the 110-story Sears Tower in Chicago. It was the tallest building in the world.

Today, the company is much smaller than it used to be. At its peak in 2011, there were 2,705 stores.

Now, only five stores are still open in the U.S. as of December 2025. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2018. A new group called Transformco now manages the company. They focus on selling off the company's real estate assets. Even though it is smaller, the history of Sears is still very important to learn.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. was a massive American retail company. It functioned as both a chain of department stores and an online retailer. For much of the 20th century, it was the largest retailer in the United States. The company changed how people shopped by using mail-order catalogs and large physical stores. It grew from a small watch business into a global empire with many famous brands. This history shows how the American consumer economy evolved over many decades.

The company's growth began with a specific mail-order mechanism. Richard Warren Sears started by selling watches through the mail in 1886. He met Alvah Curtis Roebuck, a watch repairman, that same year. In 1887, they moved to Chicago to publish a catalog. This catalog allowed customers to view items and order them from home.

As the business grew, the catalog expanded to include many more goods. By 1894, the catalog reached 322 pages. By 1895, it grew to 532 pages. The catalog eventually included sewing machines, bicycles, automobiles, and even groceries.

Sears went through several distinct stages of ownership and structure. It was founded in 1892 by Sears and Roebuck. In 1895, the company reincorporated in Illinois after Julius Rosenwald joined the firm. Rosenwald brought a rational management philosophy to the business. He helped diversify the product lines to include furniture, drugs, and hardware. In 1906, the company underwent a major change through an initial public offering, or IPO. This was the first major retail IPO in American financial history.

This transition helped the company move from a private firm to a public corporation.

The history of the company is marked by significant leaders and shifts. Richard Sears founded the original business, but Julius Rosenwald eventually took full control. Rosenwald became president and chairman after Sears resigned in 1908. Rosenwald helped the company survive a severe depression between 1919 and 1921. He pledged $21 million of his personal wealth to stabilize the firm. Later, Robert E. Wood took charge to lead the shift toward urban department stores. This leadership allowed the company to move from mail-order dominance to retail dominance.

The scale of Sears's success is visible in its massive numbers and physical presence. In 1907, annual sales reached approximately $50 million. By 1953, the company had $78 million in sales from other international territories.

The company's reach was truly global, operating in places like Mexico, Brazil, and Cuba. In the United States, the company reached a peak of 2,705 stores in 2011.

Even its architecture was significant, as the company built the 110-story Sears Tower in Chicago. Completed in 1974, it was the tallest building in the world at that time.

Sears was known for several notable brands and unconventional retail practices. It created successful private labels like Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard, and Silvertone. These brands became household names for appliances and tools.

The company also pioneered new store designs. In 1939, the Sears-Pico store in Los Angeles featured the first open plan selling floor. These stores were often located in residential neighborhoods rather than city centers. They also offered ample free parking to attract motorists. This was a major departure from traditional shopping districts.

Today, the company exists in a much different form than it did during its peak. In 2005, Eddie Lampert took control of the company through a merger with Kmart. This created Sears Holdings. However, the parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 15, 2018.

Now, a group called Transformco manages the remaining assets. Their focus has shifted to managing and selling off real estate. As of December 2025, only five Sears stores remain open in the United States. The company's legacy remains a key part of American economic history.