ABSTRACT
A Chicago firm, established with that name in 1893, succeeding a number of other companies. At first Sears was devoted entirely to mail order sales of a wide variety of products. In the mid-1920s retail stores were opened, and the sale of goods under several house tradenames (Allstate first; later Craftsman, Kenmore, etc.) began. The mail-order catalog business continued through the mid-1990s, but facing a changing market, it has since focused on its retail stores.
