Mom was confused one day when someone named Whitehouse for the first time called the house. She thought what does the Whitehouse want with dad?
At any rate, since dad worked there he used to take me occasionally to the store. My greatest thrill was when he used to let me pull the lever back and forth on the old cargo elevator. The elevator connected the loading dock to the upper floors where they had a warehouse area.
Also on the upper floor were advertising offices where workers, surrounded in clippings on artists boards would be assembling the ads to be submitted to the Morning Call for S&R's advertisements.
Sears also had a rather large cafeteria for it's workers and a meeting room. Also unseen by the public was a telephone switchboard room were two operators took phone calls and patched them to the phone extensions. The operators would do the announcements for the store.
Later a small portion was renovated where folks could apply for "revolving credit". As far as I remember Sears & Roebuck was the first and only store to offer credit at the time. Up until then customers would have go to a bank and apply for a loan. The bank would then issue a check and you would take it to Sears to buy your big ticket items like wringer washers, furniture, etc. By offering 'Revolving Credit' S&R gained a large advantage over the other local department stores at the time.
On the roof lay about 5 inches of water. There was no air conditioning at the time. The water on the roof evaporating would help cool down the store. There'd always be at least a few ducks who called it home in the spring & summer. The water was drained off in the winter to prevent freezing.
The only other thing up there was the elevator shanty. I was fascinated by the sparking relays that clanked when they engaged the electric motor that drove the cable spool for the cargo elevator.
Just South of the main store, on 7th, Sears had another building that housed their 'farm store'. This is where S&R would sell farm supplies, tractors, etc.
What Sears & Roebuck was best known for was their huge catalogue.
If someone manufactured it, Sears sold it. Clothes, musical instruments, pens, guns, horse carriages, cars, house & barn building kits... you name it, they had it!
Yes, the old Sears & Roebuck was quite the store in it's day.
Wikipedia: Sears & Roebuck
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