The Washington times., 1929-08-20
TO FIND WHAT YOU WANT IN THE NEW DEP STORE
Sears Founded Firm;
Sold Watches ByMaiL

Ospace, an office building occupying
about one-hah a city block, four.
story printing building and a power
house. The new quarters were
moved into In 1905. This Chicago
building has been enlarged repeat.
edly. until 1t now comprises $780,.
Oe0 square feet OF floor space. In
1905 the business was organized
with q total capital OF $40 900, 900.
Of which $30. zoo. 1000 was common
stock and $40, 900, 900 preferred.
Three years later Sears retired
from the business and Rosenwald
was elected president. The stock
was then placed on the open market
for the first time. The preferred
paid a dividend Of Z per cent from
the beginning and the payment of
dividends on the common started in
1909. At that time employees were
offered the opportunity OF buying
stock on the instalment plan.
In its never-ceasing campaign to
sell highsquality goods at lower and
lower prices, Sears, Roebuck and
Company recognized many years
ago the advantage OF owning fac
tories. Having eliminated many Of
the expenses that accrue in the Jour.
ney of merchandise from the pro.
ducAr to the consumer, it proceeded
to eliminate as far az possible manu-.
factuIers' profits. To do this oh.
Yiously meant the acquiring of man.
ufactIring plants.
The company purchased factories
for the manufacture OF wallpaper,
paint, shoes, stoves, agricultural i'm.
elements. cream separators, wire
fencing, tents. millwork and build.
ing material. It also made contracts
to take the entire output Of other
factories. thus pairing manufac.
facturers' profits on their products
to an absolute minimum. The saw.
ings earned by these transactions
were passed on to the customer
through the medium of lower prices
for goods OF highest quality. Out Of
this intensive campaign to eliminate
costs connected with the distribution
OF merchandise, emerged the ia.
mously low prices Of Sears, Roebuck
and Company.
First Branch Opened
In the first half.decade of the
present century, the mail order in.
dustry passed from infancy to a TO.
bust adolescence. Firmly establish.
ed and following methods and poll.
cies which tho years had clearly
demonstrated to be sound, Sears,
Roebuck & Co., in 1905, entered into
q pretentious building campaign.
The huge plant on the West Side
Of Chicago was erected and the first
substantial branch Of the company
was established at Dallas, Tex. A
mail order house was erected there
to take care of the company's bust.
ness in the Southwest. Four years
later another mail.order house was
built In Seattle,
l With Chicago executing tho com.
pany's business in the East and Mid
die West and Dallas and Seattle
serving respectively the Southwest
and Northwest, no more regional
units were required by the company
until II years later. In 1921 q new
building campaign started in Phila.
delphfa, where q huge store was
erected to serve the Eastern sea.
board and the Middle Atlantic States
Other Units Added
Then in 1925 the building cam.
paign was resumed and continued at
top pitch until the dedication Of the
Boston mail order house in the late
summer Of 1925, The building pro-
gram after the Philadelphia plant
was performed as follows: 1925,
Kansas City: 1926, Atlanta, Ca; 1927,
Los Angeles, Memphis, Tenn; 1928,
Minneapolis. Boston.
The first retail establishment of
Sears. Roebuck and Co. was opened
in 1925 at the Chicago plant, head.
quarters of the company's parent
organization. It's manager was w.
H. Alexander who is now general
manager Of all Of the company's re-
tail stores. Immensely prosperous
from the start, this first store
heralded the success attained by the
stores that followed it in every part
Of the company.