Michigan Says Goodbye to Sears

[Richard]

Here’s a bit of Sears history

RICHARD WARREN SEARS, 1863 – 1914
FOUNDER OF SEARS, ROEBUCK AND COMPANY
Few people realize that Richard W. Sears, founder of the Sears and Roebuck financial empire, played a significant role in the early history of lumbering in Suwannee County, Florida.
Richard Warren Sears was born 7 Dec 1863, in Stewartville, Minnesota. He was educated there in the public schools. Sears became a qualified telegrapher and worked several railroad jobs, starting as a freight engineer and train dispatcher.
In 1886, realizing the need of keeping railroad schedules, Sears began a small business selling pocket watches. He purchased a supply of watches and telegraphed agents up the line that he would sell the watches on the installment plan. Sales were so good the following year, that he moved his business to Chicago, the railroad hub of the Midwest. Through a newspaper advertisement for a jeweler to repair his returned watches, Sears met Alvah C. Roebuck. In 1893, they formed a corporate partnership, creating a general mail order business that bore the name Sears, Roebuck and Company.
Sears had sold lumber in his youth and was lumber conscious. He realized the white pine forests of the Northeastern United States were rapidly being depleted. His interest turned to Florida’s forests of southern yellow pine. He retired from the presidency of Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1908 and two years later came to Florida.
In 1910, due to poor health, Thomas Dowling sold the Dowling Lumber Company, the Live Oak, Perry & Gulf Railroad Company, several saw mills and several hundred thousand acres of timberland in Suwannee, Taylor and Lafayette counties to Richard W. Sears. Sears changed the name of the business to Standard Lumber Company.
As the timber was cut the lands were hardly worth payment of taxes. Having become successful in the mail order business, Sears conceived the idea of selling his cut-over lands on the installment plan. All lands were surveyed and cut-up into twenty and forty acre tracts. The survey records showed better than 5,000 acres to be swamp land and practically worthless, whereupon a book value was placed at 25 cents per acre. One tract of 2,600 acres was sold for 26 cents per acre, a profit of 1 cent per acre. Another tract of 2,700 acres was sold for a profit of 38 cents per acre. This left the Company with approximately 100,000 acres of good land that needed to be disposed of. On February 19, 1913, the corporation of Suwannee River Land Belt was formed with a capital of $200,000.00 with the Standard Lumber Company being the parent Company. Both offices were located in Live Oak.
The Suwannee River Land Belt Company marketed cut over timberland in 20-acre tracts through the Sears and Roebuck catalog. The lots were sold on a monthly payment plan at $11 an acre - $5 down and $5 a month – with 3 percent interest on the unpaid balance. During the first five years, more that 5,000 sales were made throughout the United States and Canada. When the company was finally dissolved in 1965, over 10,000 people had purchased Sears’ cutover timberland in Suwannee and neighboring counties.
After Sears’ death in 1915, his widow, Anna L. Sears and her two sons expanded the operation of the Standard Lumber Company.
In general, times were good. A new mill and community were built. Situated in Hendry County adjacent to the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, the mill town was, appropriately named “Sears.” However, a contract with Florida Industrial Company to log $2.5 million of south Florida slash pine timber in Lee and Hendry counties spelled failure to the Standard Lumber Company. Soon the lumber market declined and became depressed. Following a lawsuit by the Florida Industrial Company the Standard Lumber Company became insolvent. It was sold for nonpayment of taxes in 1936.

[401don]

In Canada Sears stores were very confusing for many years. When Sears 1st came to Canada they were a joint venture with a Canadian dept. store chain called Simpsons. They called the "Sears" stores Simpsons-Sears and weren't allowed to operate within so many miles of existing Simpsons stores. Customers were getting confused so they just rebranded them Sears. The Simpsons stores got bought out by Hudson's Bay I believe.
Many of the closed Sears stores here are now becoming fitness centers. Wonder how long that will last before the casual people get tired of paying for their memberships.

[Richard]

Is Hudson's Bay related to Hudson’s in the States?

Hudsons-Dayton’s became Marshall fields then Macy’s then Target.

I had a Hudson’s credit card back in the 80s,a cashmere sweater that I bought for my then wife was $120 at Hudson’s but I bought it for $65 at Daytons and they were the same company.

I do not get the fitness places,$10 per month takes a lot to pay the rent,most that I know sign up,go for a few months then no more.

Drive by them and they always seem to have people in them.

[401don]

Is Hudson's Bay related to Hudson’s in the States?

Hudsons-Dayton’s became Marshall fields then Macy’s then Target.

I had a Hudson’s credit card back in the 80s,a cashmere sweater that I bought for my then wife was $120 at Hudson’s but I bought it for $65 at Daytons and they were the same company.

I do not get the fitness places,$10 per month takes a lot to pay the rent,most that I know sign up,go for a few months then no more.

Drive by them and they always seem to have people in them.

No. Hudson's Bay is in no way related. The Hudson's Bay Co. started as a trading post in the 1600's. Oldest retail establishment in North America!

[Ray1936]

Hudson's Bay is named for Henry Hudson, 1565 - 1611, English explorer. Hudson's Department Store is named for Joseph L. Hudson, 1846 - 1912, no relation. They didn't even know each other, I feel free to say.