They sold everything EXCEPT the kitchen sink

This past week, one of my brothers was talking to me about a Sears (or was it Montgomery Ward?) catalog from the early '70s. It brought back memories of plaid bell-bottom pants and gaudy shirts with those platform shoes. Oh, those were the good ol' days!

It got me thinking: The library has old Sears catalogues from the late 1800s and early 1900s. I checked out the 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue (659 SEA). Talk about an unusual mix of products for sale! My gosh, I showed this to my father who remembers some of these outdated items. It was great to see his eyes while he reminisced. I used that tired old saying, they sold "everything including the kitchen sink." But I was wrong. Let me flip through the pages looking for the kitchen sinks with you:

• Oh, cool. Pages 3 and 4 have the different buildings that manufacture their products. There's a cream seperator plant in Iowa. (Interesting. At this time William Galloway Company, a major Waterloo company, also manufactured and sold - through catalogues - cream seperators. When he first started, Galloway hired away from Sears one of the catalogue executives.)
• What is that strange contraption on page 173? There is an attachment to put on your bicycle so that you can bike on the railroad tracks. I wonder how long they sold those before they discovered this is dangerous?
• Starting on 194, there are wonderful illustrations of "talking machines" - early record players - for $14.95. It also includes two pages of records you can buy, but I don't recognize too many of the songs. My dad might, though.
• Ah, there's the index starting on page 525. But I'm stubborn - I'm going to find the kitchen sinks on my own, thank you very much. I don't need help.
• Need a plow? Sears has plenty to offer on pages 536 and 537. One's as low as $7.73.
• I wonder if my parents bought their windmill through Sears. I see they are sold on page 558.
• Starting on page 595, you can buy a complete six-room house (no charge for the building plans) for as low as $725. It's a $1,100 value. I'm sure that would come with the kitchen sink, but I want to find it seperately.
• Hey, I'm getting close. Page 607 has lavatories. The kitchen sinks can't be too far away. But the next pages have only plumbing parts.
• Now, we're getting into hunting and fishing gear - quite a ways away from plumbing.
• There are the rugs for sale.
• Here are several pages of shoes.
• Now we have the clothing. Look at how the woman are portrayed. And we think today's women are encouraged to be thin. Those corsets look wicked.
• I'm to the last page with lot purchases and special closeouts. Still no kitchen sinks.

Okay, time to use the index. It's listed as pages 608-609. I turn to that page. Something's wrong. There is page 606, 607... What? The next page is 610. It's a printing error.

I am right, Sears did sell everything EXCEPT the kitchen sink!

c Waterloo Public Library 2008