After discontinuing auto sales for decades, Sears in the 1950s introduced the All State line of vehicles, which included cars and motorcycles, sold through its catalog. (COURTESY PHOTOS)
After discontinuing auto sales for decades, Sears in the 1950s introduced the All State line of vehicles, which included cars and motorcycles, sold through its catalog. (COURTESY PHOTOS)
LEFT: Sears sold cars and motorcycles by catalog in the early 20th century, among them the 1910 Model L. (COURTESY PHOTO)
Nostalgia comes in many forms. During my youth, dreams sprouted from car and motorcycle brochures but the ephemera that paced my youth was the Sears catalog. The Wish Book catalog at Christmas contained everything a hopeful young kid could want, from go carts to toys and sporting goods, and later specialty catalogs for tools, entertainment and auto accessories. Nearly every uniquely grouped offering from underwear to appliances could be found between the covers of a Sears catalog. The “catalog” was ubiquitous and played a major role in the consumerism of America. It was Amazon before the internet.
The story began when Richard Sears, a 19th-century railway agent, sold an unwanted shipment of watches to other railroad workers. Following that success he partnered with watchmaker Alvah Roebuck, to form a mail-order watch business. In 1893, they expanded and named the business Sears, Roebuck & Co.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.