Robbie asked:

>[ Why do we correctly say that Kenmore is a "house brand", but
>[ Celica is a "model"?  Is the distinction because we know that
>[ Toyota makes the Celica, whereas we know that the Lyon & Healy
>[ Empress products were made for L&H by another firm?

Just an idea on this:  Perhaps we can say that the Celica (a fine car,
by the way; my wife used to own one) is a "model" because it is built
by Toyota, which is primarily a car building company, and retailed by
car (Toyota) dealers, whereas we call Kenmore a "house brand" because
it appears on everything from dishwashers to stereos to power tools,
all sold by the same retailer, Sears Roebuck & Co.

And while we're on the 'house brand' subject, lets not forget Beckwith,
Sears Roebuck's piano and organ brand.  I used to have a Beckwith
upright player piano that was unrestored, and had been stored in the
damp for so long that the veneer was gone from the entire outside of
the case, but it still played (sort of).

Regards,

Bob Loesch
http://www.jps.net/rrloesch