Sears introduced the first Kenmore washing machine in 1927 and the first Kenmore vacuum cleaner in 1932. Kenmore Appliances: The brand name first appeared on a sewing machine sold in the Sears catalogue in 1913. Sears, Roebuck and Company gave birth to several iconic brands over the years. In 2009, the building was renamed Willis Tower after a London-based insurance broker that now leases a portion of the structure. When it opened in 1973, the 110-story Sears Tower, at 1,454 feet in height, dominated the Chicago skyline as the tallest building in the world-a distinction it held for 25 years.

The catalogue, which arrived in mailboxes in late August or early September, soon became a holiday tradition with warm, colorful Christmas scenes decorating the cover. Items featured in the first catalogue included the popular Miss Pigtails doll, Lionel electric train sets, a Mickey Mouse watch, boxes of chocolate and even live singing canaries. The catalogue contained toys and other holiday gifting merchandise. The first Sears Christmas Wish Book catalogue came out in 1933. Due to their high-quality materials and practical design, many Sears homes are still in use. Kit homes used drywall, asphalt shingles, and “balloon” style light-frame construction to cut down on the cost of skilled labor and allow for D.I.Y. Sears Modern Homes typically arrived with a detailed instruction manual and two boxcars worth of building materials. Consumers could purchase a small bungalow for as little as $450. Mass-produced materials lowered manufacturing costs. Between 19, Sears sold 70,000 to 75,000 pre-fab kit homes by mail order. Sears took advantage of new homebuilding materials and construction techniques at the turn of the twentieth century.

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