In 1893, the first Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog was published. In 1993, the last Sears catalog was published. In 2013, Sears Hometown Store is going nostalgic and honoring the memory of the "Big Book" with a twentieth anniversary sale.
This year also marks survival for the entrepreneurs who operate local Sears Hometown Store locations. Twenty years ago, Sears announced it was closing around 2,000 of its catalog stores along with the Big Book. Only 122 owners were allowed to continue operating their businesses that became known as Sears Hometown stores. Today, Sears Hometown Stores account for more than 900 locations as part of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc., which was spun off by Sears Holdings.
"Looking back over the past 20 years, we're celebrating tremendous progress," said Bruce Johnson, president and CEO, of the company, in a statement. "Everyone has memories of ordering from the eagerly awaited Big Book for delivery to a local catalog store or their home. The Big Book is gone. But as much as things change, we continue to grow by providing top-notch customer service, and we still provide incredible values."
"I started working at a Sears catalog store in the telephone department in 1958," said Lucille Cooper, owner of the Sears Hometown Store in Bogalusa, La. "I loved working for Sears and worked my way up, eventually becoming a store manager. When we heard that the catalog stores were closing, our entire community was distressed. A few weeks later, I heard about the opportunity to buy a dealer store in my hometown, and I immediately took it. Everything has come full circle."
To commemorate the anniversary of the last Big Book, Sears Hometown Stores are running a "throwback" promotion offering current versions of items sold in 1993 at prices at or below what they charged 20 years ago.