Who was first, Timothy Eaton or Sears ?

Question: Who was first, Timothy Eaton or Sears !?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Timothy Eaton (1834-1907), who founded the highly popular T!. Eaton Co!. in 1869, with fixes prices, for cash, and money cheerfully refunded, and later aided by an efficient mail-order business in 1884!.

Richard Sears was an agent of the Minneapolis and St!. Louis railway station in North Redwood, Minnesota!. Sears job as station agent left him plenty of spare time, so he sold lumber and coal to local residents on the side to make extra money!. Later, when he received a shipment of watches - unwanted by a neighboring Redwood Falls jeweler - he was ready!. Sears purchased them himself, sold the watches at a nice profit to other station agents up and down the line, and then ordered more for resale!.

In 1886 Sears began the R!.W!. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis!.
The following year, Sears moved his business to Chicago and inserted a classified ad in the Chicago Daily News!.
An Indiana lad, Alvah C!. Roebuck answered the ad!. He told Sears he knew watches and brought a sample of his work to prove it!. Sears hired him!. Here began the association of two young men, both still in their twenties, that was to make their names famous!. For it was in 1893 that the corporate name of the firm became Sears, Roebuck and Co!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Timothy Eaton, by a long way!. Eaton's was the mainstay of Canadian life for generations - their catalogue was in every home and was also referred to as the Christmas wish book, because kids would look longingly at the toys pictured in that magical book!.
Sears was a Johnny-come-lately!.Www@QuestionHome@Com