The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The business partnership that started by selling watches by mail was Sears, Roebuck and Co.
This iconic American retail company was founded by Richard W. Sears and Alvah C. Roebuck, and its origin story is a classic example of entrepreneurial ingenuity. The venture began in 1886, not in a storefront, but at a railroad station in North Redwood, Minnesota. Richard Sears, working as a station agent, seized an unexpected opportunity when a local jeweler refused a shipment of gold-filled pocket watches. Sears purchased the unwanted inventory and, using his access to the telegraph and railway system, began selling the watches to other station agents and farmers along the rail line. His mail-order watch business proved incredibly profitable.
Seeking to expand, Sears moved his enterprise to Chicago in 1887 and founded the R.W. Sears Watch Company. He soon realized he needed a skilled technician to handle repairs and adjustments for the watches he was selling. He placed a classified advertisement for a watchmaker, which was answered by Alvah C. Roebuck. Roebuck’s technical expertise was the perfect complement to Sears’ marketing and sales prowess, and their business partnership was born.
Together, they officially incorporated as Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 1893. While the business began with watches, the partners quickly expanded their offerings. They launched a mail-order catalog that grew from a simple watch pamphlet into a comprehensive book offering a vast array of merchandise, from clothing and tools to furniture and even entire house kits. This catalog revolutionized retail in the United States, bringing the goods of the city to rural and isolated communities at transparent prices, all built upon the trust established by their initial mail-order watch business.
