EnidBuzz features a new clothing store in downtown Enid. I recognized the location instantly. Sears. It’s an awfully big building for a startup clothing store. Sears formerly sold everything but food. Tools were in the basement, so that’s where I shopped in the 70s. Bought a whole lot of metric Craftsman tools, still have most of them though I’ll never need them again.
Each one proudly proclaims “Forged in USA”. Nobody will ever need those words again. Every physical object is made in China now.
The downfall of Sears is a classic unnecessary tragedy. Sears could have halted Bezos in his tracks, forcing him to stick with books. They had been handling online orders efficiently for 120 years, by mail then telegraph then telephone. The jump from telephone back to text would have been a MUCH easier learning curve than text to telephone, but they didn’t make the jump. Later a stock monster named Lampert took over and expertly guided Sears into the iceberg, but the ship was already doomed when Lampert broke in and stole everything.
Polistra's Mill 