On November 2, 1925, Sears opened two new retail stores, one on
Lawrence Avenue, and the other on 79th Street in Chicago. Today,
these stores represent two of Chicagoís oldest, continuously
operating stores in the Sears retail store system. More
importantly, over the last 77 years, these stores became very
important parts of the local neighborhoods. Both neighborhoods
trace their roots back to the middle of the nineteenth century.
In the area that is today Lawrence Avenue, German, English and
Luxembourg truck farmers began cultivating the land in the mid
nineteenth century. One of the main crops was cucumbers and a
number of pickle factories sprouted up in the area. The 79th
Street neighborhood got its start in 1853 when two trains
collided at what are now 75th Street and South Chicago Avenue.
After the 1853 collision, state law required all trains to stop
at that point. A Chicago developer, Paul Cornell decided that
the swampy area would be a good site for a suburban development
since transportation to Chica