Evening star., 1961-08-13

| LIE CT6u1eIlQOuS STOWCLI VI
Sears, Roebuck and Co., which
has five department-type stores
in this area, started out rs
years ago with a package of
watches and the enterprise of
Richard w. Sears, the founder.
The great expansion was
achieved without benefit of
such big sellers as automobiles
and groceries. But it's doing
quite well with 100000 other
items ranging from diamonds
to sailboats. All the glamor of
the showpiece firm-represent-
ative of the free-enterpriSe
syStem-is reflected in an As
sociated Press dispatch from
Chicago, upon which this ac-
count is based.
The first Washington area
m modern establishment was
opened August 2, 1929 at ell
Bladensburg road NE. Opening
in the 1940s were stores at 4500
Wisconsin avenue NV. (194D; {;
$500 Wilson boulevard, Arling-
ton, Va. (1942); and S455
Colesville road, Silver Spring
C1949). The Silver Spring store
followed closing g out Of an
earlier operation in Brightwood
on Georgia avenue. Latest
new-site opening was Septem-
Der s, 1856 at 2S46 Alabama
avenue Sc.
The Arlington store was
more than doubled In size in
1866. The construction and
consolidation halted business
for only one day. This was q
major project. First, the new
store was built around the old
one: then the old wall separa-
tions were knocked out. In
September Of 1949 the Bladens-
burg store was also greatly en-.
larged.
Sales S4 Billion a Year
According to the Associated
Press account, sales in the
Sears enterprises have risen to
a total Of more than "a billion
a year. If history wrote cor
porate names, this one might
be known as Sears, Rosenwald,
Wood & Co. These men were
the big builders Of the COM
pany that calls itself the worlds
largest distributor of general
merchandise.
Founder Richard w. Sears
was q born salesman but he
was % before he peddled a
bundle Of watches and thus be-
came aware of his gift. That
was in 1885. He quit his job
as a railroad station agent in
North Redwood, Mimi, went
to Minneapolis and then to
Chicago. where he teamed with
q young matchmaker from
Hammond, Ind, named Alvah
c. Roebuck.
Stabilizer Julius Rosenwald
joined the firm in 1896. The
go-getting Mr.. Sears was going
and getting business at the
top. paying little heed to the
disorder among the order filters
down below. Mr.. Rosenwald,
a clothing manufacturer, intro
duced the indispensable ele-
ment, efficiency.
Innovator Robert e. Wood, a
rugged West Pointer and avid
reader Of Census Bureau re-
ports, took a Sears post in 1924.
He established retail stores and
branched out into Latin Amer
lea.
Mail Orders for Watches
Sears first wares were
watches. They were Of the
ornate, eye-catching, hunting
case type that were much in
demand as symbols of status
and sophistication.
The Nation was largely agri-
cultural then. To and from
the rural areas flowed mail Or
ders for Notwithstanding up
ward from SO cents for a plain,
stem-winding nickel number to
$41.45 for one in a solid gold
case with engraved flowers
and for clothing, guns, saddles
and other goods.
Business was good. Too good,
in fact. Orders were 30 to go
days late. One customer, who
had sent in for q $5.95 baby
buggy for an infant son, wrote
a subsequent complaint:
Better change the order to
a single barrel shotgun. The
kid is growing up"
The biggest general merchan-