DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'll tell it my way. Back in 1857, a German native by the name of Isaac Sanger opened a small dry goods store in McKinney, Texas. Now, a small dry goods store doesn't sound like the start of something legendary; but that's the thing about quiet beginnings.
They have a way of fooling you. Isaac didn't stay solo for long. His brothers came to join him: Lehman, Philip, Alex, and Sam, and when you've got five Sangers workin' together, you're not running a small anything for very much longer.
The first store to actually carry the name Sanger Bros. opened in 1867, down in Bryan. That was just the opening move. Because there was something else movin' across Texas at that same time: the railroad, and wherever those iron rails pushed north, the Sangers were right behind them, ready to set up shop.
By 1872, the railroad had reached Dallas, and so had Sanger Bros. That Dallas store turned out to be something else entirely. Sanger Bros. grew into a nationally known operation, celebrated for its innovative marketing and merchandising techniques, and it played a major role in the city's commercial development.
What started as one man, one store, one Texas town in 1857: it spread across the state on the back of a railroad and the ambition of five brothers who clearly did not believe in doing things small.
What the marker says
This retail establishment traces its history to 1857, when German native Isaac Sanger opened a small dry goods store in McKinney. Sanger later was joined by his brothers Lehman, Philip, Alex, and Sam. The first store to bear the name Sanger Bros. opened in 1867 in Bryan. New stores were established as the railroad line moved north to Dallas, where the Sangers opened a store in 1872. Sanger Bros. became nationally known for its innovative marketing and merchandising techniques and played a major role in the city's commercial development. (1984)