With Sears closing even more stores, the era of the department store is almost over. Few years back I started picking up Sears branded products. Anyone else collect their house brands? I know some of the older guys probably worked in the auto centers. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Wonder if they bought these from Cal Custom or made a copy? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Bought these last night from a store closing. Must have been in the maintenance room for years. Surprised no one threw them out. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Your thread is absolutely fantastic! I’m only 44, but it breaks my heart to see what has happened to Sears and the other department stores. I make my family’s living with my tools and most of them are Craftsman. I remember going to Sears with my Dad, Uncle, and Grandad shopping for tools. I also remember shopping at the other stores as well. Please keep the pictures coming of your collection. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I’m only 43, but when I was little my family always bought our tires and batteries at Sears. My Uncle worked in the Auto Center for a couple years. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Of course i use Craftsman tools. I still use a Sears timing light and raced for years on American Torque Thrust looking wheels, can't say if they were real on not. I bought them at J.C. Penneys.
I worked at Sears,Roebuck & Co. in shipping & receiving when I was in high school and it was a great place to work, I bought tools,tires & cloths and at that time Sears was a stand alone store,meaning it was not located in a shopping center or a mall. The Sears I worked at had a huge tool department and I believe they had everything that was available in the store for purchase. I also remember Sears had a large Christmas catalog every year, hate to see them close. HRP
I'll take a couple of those Merc motors at that price. Tough luck for you Limey guys, the MG motor is more than twice the price of the Merc. And it's half the size! Our local Sears closed a few years ago. By then, none of the employees acted like they gave a shit. I never blamed the employees, blamed the company.
And if you have some time to kill, the 1957 Sears wish book project will sure bring back memory's. You can turn the 425 pages. HRP 1957 Wish Book
Growing up in the 50's and 60's I don't think most average families could have made it without Sears, J,C.Pennys and "MonkeyWards" My Mom always bought at least 90% of our clothes at Penny's and the Sears stores were our go to place for appliances, tools and almost any thing else we needed for years. The America we knew has been slipping away for years, the loss of these types of stores is just another reality of the changing times. Doesn't mean I have to like it though!
It's funny, if Sears had been on the ball, they could have been Amazon since they created the idea. I have a '63 Sears catalog and a '65 Montgomery Wards. Amazing how much stuff is in them. HRP, I remember getting the Christmas catalogs and circling what I want... most of the time I might have got one or two things.
When I was a kid we got the catalog and I penciled what I liked but more often than not the catalog with what I desired ended up in the out house when I was a kid. HRP
A couple of years ago, my Mom had mentioned something about the Toughskins jeans that we used to wear as kids, and I went looking for them for my son. Gone, nowhere to be found. You are so right about Sears being the first Amazon, they invented the concept. How their management missed this is beyond me. Now they have flushed a one time American institution down the shitter. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I remember those damn jeans, we had those too, I hated them! They would never fade like the jeans the cool kids wore! Mom bought a lot of our clothes from Sears. Living is small town USA, Sears was our window to the world. We didn't have the large department stores the cities had, so we ordered from Sears. I bought my first tires from Sears, ordered them through the mail, they delivered them to the local Sears jobber, I had to go pick them up. Never will forget them, Sears Superwide 70's, white letter bias plys. Then ordered two more 60's for the back to match. Bought a set of headers from them for my 454 Chevy pickup. When they arrived, the box had a hole in it, I should have sent it back. Little did I know the pack of header bolts that were included lost out that hole! I had never put any headers on before, didn't know any better, so I went and bought a sack full of washers and used the original bolts from the manifolds! Young and dumb! They never leaked though, and I never lost a bolt. Bought other auto stuff from Sears over the years too. A lot of it was re-branded items with their name on it, some I think may have been made to their specs. Those Superwide tires wore like iron, and left great black marks! No idea who actually built them. Sears did indeed pioneer the order and get it sent to you market, but pretty much gave it up and went to brick and mortar stores, a big mistake. If they had of had the vision of the internet, they would have kept doing what they were doing, but by the time it came along, they were already in a state of decline. We also ordered from a place called Aldens, it was sorta like Sears. And there was another company that I can't remember the name of, they had an auto section with name brand parts, maybe it was Western Auto? I dunno now, too many years ago.
Ok, I'll throw out some other names that had auto parts, tools etc. from back in the day, in our area of Ohio anyway. Moores, Cussins & Fern, Western Auto, and Nationwide are the only ones that come to mind. There was also a store on west Broad street in Columbus, Ohio that my buddies and I went to every time we got a chance that had every kind of automotive nick- nack and doodad that you could think of along with some real speed parts that we couldn't afford. I can't remember the name of the place but the guy that owned it was a nice guy and always had the time to shoot the shit with us and treated us good.
Its a shame those stores are a fraction of what they once were,since I still use late 60s Sears lawn tractors I picked up a 1970 farm and suburban catalog and it is amazing what was available. I loved looking at those wish books that came out around christmas.
I also loved their wish books at Christmas too. But I had them wore out by Christmas! lol I have collected many of them since, and still like looking through them. Some kids never grow up. Sent from my SM-G920P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Sears,Western Auto,Montgomery Ward not only had great auto departments,they also had great sporting goods departments also. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
Sears can KMA!!! Their current management has driven a great brand into the ground and they are treating life-long customers like dirt. I feel sorry for their employees who likely will be getting the shaft as well. Regarding Craftsman tools, they've done a number on them, too, as the ones that Sears sells are Chinese junk. Note that they don't say "Made in USA" anymore. Fear not, though, as you can buy real Craftsman tools that are made in the USA at other retailers, such as Ace Hardware and I believe Lowes. I'm sure there are others. You can tell the good ones as they will say, "Made in USA."
How about the Sears Allstate Car? Which was a Henry J sold through Sears. I know all good H.A.M.Ber knew that
It was Montgomery Wards for us or Monkey Wards, as my dad called it. We ordered everything it seems like for the ranch. Our Lincoln cracker box welder says “ Montgomery Wards” on it. They also provided my dad with his favorite mud grip tires for our trucks. We mounted them by hand, with hammers and screwdrivers and broke the beads by driving the front wheel of a truck up on them. Tuff days back then. We never hired hardly anything out ,did most things our self, to save money. Our labor was free! My dad was old school, came through the depression and the “ Grapes of Wrath “ times. He told me only the rich Okies went to California, our family was too poor to go. It took a word war to get him to California. Edit: Even my dads 30:06 has Montgomery Wards on it! Bones
I have my father-in-law’s battery charger from Montgomery Wards and a automotive wiring book I bought at JC (“Jacque”) Penny. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I love me some Craftsman tools. If something broke you could get it replaced 7 days a week. Had to wait if it was Snap on or Mac. You could load up on their socket sets when on sale. Had a Montgomery Wards air compressor that lasted from the sixties until 2014.
Black & Decker has purchased the Craftsman line, although in the agreement Sears retains the right to sell them, too. Sears will be selling their Chinese junk in their stores while B&D will be making the hand tools in the USA and selling them through various outlets. B&D will be offering the same replacement service, even if it is one of the Sears Chinese tools that broke.
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