G apital Journal
SEARS
SEARS
B I R T H D A 1
SPECIAL
Section Jill JL
SPECIAL
Salem, Oregon, Wednesday, August 16, 1950
Section Hi
ONE-CANDLE
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Birthday Smile James F. Mosolf, manager of the Sears,
Roebuck & Co., store in Salem, smiles as he scans records
for the first year of operation in the new location in the
Capitol street shopping center. From the smile, it's evident
that he doesn't miss the birthday cake and single candle
due him for the banner year.
Story of Sears Store
Rates as American Epic
The story of Sears, Roebuck
tt Co., whose Salem shopping
center store celebrates its first
birthday Wednesday, is one of
most interesting In the annals of
American business.
Last year it took more than
116,552 full-time' employes to
run the company plus 42,352 in
part-time service. Yet in 1886
the business that became Sears,
Roebuck & Co., was a one-man
mail order house operated by
the station agent in the little
village of North Redwood, Minn.
Because the station agent hap
pened to be Richard W. Sears,
there is a real story in that one
man mail order house.
The jeweler in North Red
wood, afraid of becoming over
stocked, decided not to accept a
shipment of watches that had
been sent to him. The shipment
was returned to the railway of
fice. The station agent who was
full of ideas, obtained permis
sion to dispose of the watches.
He thought it would be to his
credit if he was able to get the
railroad its express charges and
he was not averse to making a
little spare-time money for him
self. Young Sears went to work
with an Idea that had been in
his mind for some time. He
sent hand-written letters to rail
road men he knew and told them
bout the watches. The watches
old easily.
The shipment vanished and
left the young man with extra
money in his pocket and with a
merchandising idea whose pos
sibilities were already beginning
1o excite him. Thus began his
one-man mail order house which
he operated in spare time dur
ing his regime , as station agent
at North Redwood and which
grew to nationwide scale.
Employes to Celebrate
Birthday with Picnic
; Sears employes and their fam
ilies will attend a birthday party
picnic tonight at Paradise island.
The party, celebrating the store's
first birthday in the shopping
center, will start ajfe,6:30 p. m.
Three hundred and fifty are ex
pected. The main event will be a soft
ball game between the men from
the first and second floors com
peting against a team made up
of men in the basement depart
ments. There will be relay races
for children.
Jim Mosolf, store manager,
has assured all there will be
plenty of food, and the birthday
cake will be big enough for the
crowd.
Sears Catalog Used
To Compile History
It is a story of historical im
port that when Mark Sullivan,
for his "Turn of the Century",
sougni some manner of renact
ment of the habits and customs
of the people of the United States
over a 25-year period he turn
ed to a Sears catalog files.
Mosolf, One-Time Big League
Ball Star, Runs Salem Store
Ever hear of the "mad Russian" of the major leagues?
One of the original players to bear that sports title under
the pressure of playing in the big ball parks of the nation
with the Pittsburgh Firates, Chicago Cubs, and Boston
Braves is the manager of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. store
' in Salem James F. Mosolf.
Momentos of his early career hang on the wall of his
office and rest on his desk, and his interest in the nation's
favorite pastime still continues,
Mosolf feels, too, that it was little more than a change
of pace to step from baseball to his career with Sears. Base
ball gave him confidence, and the ability to inspire teamwork.
Sears Celebrates First Anniversary
In Shopping Center With Special Sale
Sears Employes
Hold Shares
Sears, Roebuck & Co. em
ployes have a special interest in
the business prosperity of Sa
lem, according to James F. Mos
olf, manager of the Sears store,
which has its first birthday cele
bration this week in the shop
ping center.
The employes are actually
shareholders in the company
through the Sears famous prof
it sharing and pension plan.
This plan, which was initiated
in 1916, enables employer to in
vest a part of their salaries each
week in the company. This is
more than matched by the com
pany, and it has now developed
to where Sears employes in their
profit sharing and pension own
a block of shares in the com
pany. At the present time they own
approximately 19 per cent of all
outstanding stock.
"Our people," said Mosolf,
"are all independent business
men and women. They want to
see Salem grow and prosper and
they can be depended on to do
their utmost in that regard. They
will translate that into top-flight
service for their customers and
our store."
Banner Year James Heldman, who rounded out some 19
years of service for Sears, Roebuck & Co., during the past
year as assistant manager of the Salem store, smiles with
satisfaction as he checks records of past performance and
the outlook for the future.
Shopping Center
Growing; Sears
Is Largest Unit
Latest unit of the Capitol
street shopping center went into
operation during the past week
when the Towne Shop opened its
doors on Capitol street
The first store to open, Berg's
market, began counting custom
ers in March of 1946, and on
August 11 of . the same year,
Sears, Roebuck & Co., occupying
the largest single unit in the
two-block area, held its grand
opening.
Other units rapidly expanded
the center, brain-child of investment-minded
officials of the Pa
cific Mutual Life Insurance com
pany of Los Angeles.
It was conceived as unit
where shoppers coud come to
shop and find virtually all of
their merchandise needs from
groceries to clothing as well as
home furnishings.
Interiors, colors, parking, air
conditioning each need and
convenience of the customer was
considered with an eye to mak
ing shopping not only an easy
but a pleasant routine.
With the start of the year of
operation for Sears, proof of the
sound judgment of the insurance
company investors comes with
the admission from Sears that
the year in the center has set a
new record for their business in
Salem.
Sears Catalog Gives
Customers 'Extras'
Into production of each Issue
of Sears' catalog goes nearly 16,
000 tons of paper and enough
printer's ink to fill two standard
60-foot length swimming pools.
More than 3,000 people have
had a hand in its planning,
creation, and distribution.
That's the bis general catalog
of Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Customers of the new Sears
store in Salem find it pleasantly
convenient to order from the
catalog any Item not regularly
carried in the merchandise
stocks of the local store.
A comfortable catalog shop
ping department in the basement
adjacent to the hardware de
partment combined with a direct
teletype to Seattle provides a
special shopping service that
will supplement the new stores
Celebration of the first birthday of operation of the
Sears, Roebuck & Co. store in the Capitol street shopping
center gets under way Wednesday with a sale keyed to
the birthday and back-to-school themes.
James Mosolf, manager of the store during the past
year, came to Salem several months before the business
moved from its former State street location to the big
gest unit of the center.
He points out that business at the new site has ex
ceeded all expectations and that the year of business
which ended August 11, was the biggest year for Sears
in the history of their business here.
Mosolf and his assistant manager, James Heldman,
In analyzing the effect of the center and Sears business
during the past 12 months indicated that the movement
had furthered business throughout the entire city.
During the past year, some 175 persons were listed on
the average payroll at Sears with the staff reaching 300
during the peak of the Christmas season. The employ
ment record, in comparison with previous years in the
former location when the totals were far below the cur
rent number of employes, bears out the statement of
Mosolf concerning the boom in business with the new de
velopment. The past year has been marked with several Innova
tions, aimed at bringing throngs to the shopping center.
Several small carnival attractions have been set up dur
ing the year, and one of the biggest events was a square
dance staged by Sears in the huge, 500-car parking lot
adjacent to the department store. The number of danc
ers was estimated at up to 10,000.
One of the most novel features for public ease during
the past year came when Sears provided bleacher seats
to permit spectators to view the Cherryland Festival
parade.
The business year at the new location has also been
marked by several visits to Salem of Sears' president
and other top officials of the company. And on every
visit, the officials have commended the local man
agement and expressed gratitude for Salem business.
The new store was planned with the shopper in mind.
Every detail of an excursion to the center was geared to
meeting the needs of men, women and children not only
with merchandise but with convenience.
The parking areas made the store accessible. Broad
aisles ease crowding of shoppers in the air-conditioned
interior. Demands from shoppers for service to the area
led to routing most City Transit Lines buses past the
center for their convenience.
With the opening of the birthday and back-to-school
sale, Sears expects to launch its second year of opera
tion at the new center convinced that the f uture will con
tinue with success.
To launch the sale, the company will stage a picnic
for employees for their efforts during the past year.
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