Founded in the early 1890s by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck, the company had started out as a small mail-order business selling watches. The firm took advantage of the nation’s burgeoning railroad system to market and distribute its goods—at prices far lower than those of local stores—to a clientele composed largely of farmers. The demand was enormous, and the company was continuously adding new products to its inventory: sewing machines, farm equipment, hardware, furniture, buggies, clothing.
