The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-11-04

VIM. c. Moss Jr. & Goa Rep
resentative OttumWaHouse,
Personal and Business His
tory.
Ottumwa owes its principal great
ness, to its corps Of open handed,
wide awake public spirited Mer-
chants, than whom mono take rank
above the gentleman whose firm
name forms the caption of this arti-
Gle. The 6rm is composed of VIM. G.
Jr. and A. D. Moss, who are natives Of
Stonington Connecticut.
Coming here in the tall of 1862 they
Immediately opened retail store in
the building owned by Thomas New
lille, on the corner of Main and Court
streets, which had just then been
built, but which was destroyed by
the great fire last year, but upon
which lot Mr.. Neville has just now
completed much larger and finer
building than the old one.
VIM. G. Moss, Jr., the Senior men,
Der of this firm came from st. Louis
here where he had acted as Drum
mer for the st. Louis branch of VIM.
Clafin & Co., of Boston--the largest
Boot, & Shoe Manufacturers in the
world. In that capacity he had trav-
eled quite extensively in Iowa, and
Missouri, and was well acquainted in
all the section of country naturally
tributary to Ottumwa.
A. D. Moss, the Junior, and the
gentleman whose monogram stands
for the "Co" ofthis establishment had
boon engaged in the Retail Dry Goods
trade and came here direct from New
York City.
They brought with them stock
ofgeneral merchandise Of about ST.
900 worth. 1t will be recollected by
those of our citizens who were not
off fighting the Johnny Rebs that the
times were uncommonly good then.
A large trade was setting in here
from Missouri and South eastern and
western Iowa.
Messrs. w. G. Moss Jr., & Co., cul-
tivated this trade thereby showing
their foresight and sagacity, for they
have since grown rich on it. Their
retail sales were $50, 600 the first year
which was an astounding result, con
sidering their original stock, and at
once marked them up among their
contemporaries, as men of unusual en-
ergy and business capacity.
In 1863 they began Jobbing in a
small way, which together with their
retail trade for that year, footed up
sl25,00O. The Sd year they done a
business of $4,000. The fourth
year the B. g. NJ. r. r. was extended
from here to Charlton which with
the closing of the war largely de-
creased the far away trade, which
had made the retail business of o.
tumwa SO large and prosperous,
while in the meantime the country
towns were filing up with stores.
Under this state of affairs, the Moss
Brothers sought to compensate for
their loss Of the western country re-
tail trade, by increasing their sales at
wholesale. In this they were so sue
cessful, that the 9Th year their sales
summed up to tho figures of s215, 900.
In October of last year their place
OF business and nearly their entire
stock of goods was swept away in
the terrible conflagration which de.
stroyed such largo portion of our
beautiful young city, by which ca
lamity the house Of Moss Brothers
lost $4,000 over and above insur.
ance.
Nothing daunted however by this
disaster, our go ahead firm rented
store of John Fisher, while the fire
was yet raging, and in ten days, they
were all right driving business with
their usual enterprise, with an entire
new stock ofgoods.
In spite of this loss, ard the inter
ruption oftheir trade, they sold 1888,
900 in 1868.
Immediately after the fire, tn y
purchased two lots on Main street in
the burnt district, and have just now
completed an elegant block, 4Ox116
which they have named "Moss Build
ing" and which weregard as the mos
complete and convenient Wholesal,
and Retail house we have over seer
in the west.
i
| The entire front, running back &c #.
is devoted to their retail trade. TIL,
main retail Dry Goods room, is %,
| 20, and which is now filled to reple
ton with a superb stock of the lates
and freshest Dry Goods which coul,
be found in eastern cities.
| Over this room, and its mate il
size, is tho Carpet Room, which
reached by an imposing stairway
which springs from the centre of til
room below.
The balance of the front is occr
pied by the Millinery Room 37x1
feet, where it lis designed in the sprin
to open out stock of Millinery good
that will be made as attractive as DO:
sible. Overthis room, and of the sam
size, is the Dress Making room, while