Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-03-19
THE HARDWARE TRADE.
A Walk Through w. w. woodruff & Co.'s
Establishment

To one who has never had occasion to
look into the progress of trade, in its vari-
Gus ramifications the growth or expansion
of particular branehesl is scarcely realized,
even to the man of intelligence, engaged
in other pursuits, for although he may
have casually observed that Mr.. So.and-so
was doing good business, yet as it did not
particularly concern him, he had given
the matter no special thought.
Very few people outside of the trade are
aware of the stock that is.to be found in
first class
HARDWARE HOUSE,
and walk through one would show hun
dreds of articles in the different depart
ments, which one could not enumerate
without calling into requsition the service
of a catalogue. One of the largest estabN
lishments of the kind in the State is that
of w. w. Woodruff q Co., of this city,
which has been in operation since 1865, and
is doing a heavy business, in Tennessee,
North Georgia and Alabama, Southwest
ern Virginia, Kentucky and Western
North Carolina.
To give an idea of the rapid strides this
firm has made in business circles, we will
state that the first stand they occupied was
the circumscrbed room now used by Peter
Ritter as a cigar store, sixteen by sixty
the next was an old frame building, after.
wards occupied by Peter Ricardi as a con-
dictionary, that formerly stood where the
Masonic Temple now stands, but this, also
proving too small, Messrs. Woodruff & Co.
purchased the centre building of the Cot
fin Block, which they have occupied for
the past seven years, and while by renting
two rooms over Rhess store their floor
room amounts to II, 600 feet, yet they have
not room enough and they intend in a
short time to build house sufficiently
large to Accommodate the necessities of
their constantly increasing trade.
THE PURCHASES
are made from manufacturers in the
United States and imported from foreign
countries direct, the firm label being on
every package of goods shipped from Wos-
tenholm or Wade & Butcher, the cele-
brated English cutlery manufacturers.
The basement is used for storing the
heaviest goods, and the first floor is the
b usiness department and general sales
room, while the second and third floors are
stored with goods in bulk, some just as
they came from the mandatory, for the
jobbing trade, while samples of almost
every imaginable article are placed for the
convenient inspection of merchants.
This house carries full stock of cutlery
at all times, they having in store one thou
sand to one thousand three hundred dozen
and comprising about two hundred and
fifty different styles ofpocket knives alone
OF table cutlery they have about one hun
dred varieties, with upwards of fifty sizes
and styles of scissors.
They are large patrons of home indus
tries, the purchases of this firm from the
Knoxville Iron Company exceeding $780,
600 per annum.
Their stock of armers', blacksmiths',
wagon and carriage makers, carpenters
and builders hardware is complete in all
the departments, while in saddlers' mate
rial and millers' betting they are equally
well supplied.
But without attempting an enumeration
| of the thousand and one articles, varying
| in size from a burglar proof safe to carpet
tack, which they have in store,we will in
stead direct the attention of the reader to
the very conspicuous card of these gentle
men, in another column and invite mer-
| chants living at a distance to look through
this house when next they visit our city.
THE SYSTEM
! Adopted by this firm has been to take
young lads and let them grow up in the
business, learning each grade in detail.
| AS an instance of the benefit accruing
| from this course Mr.. w. e. Gibbins has
been identified with this house since its
establishment in this city, and by indomi-
table perseverance and integrity has work
| ed himself into q partnership.
The financial department is in charge OF
Mr.. G. l.. Carpenter, whose qualifications
as q book keeper are we'll known. Mr.. A,
| A. Sharpe is the travelling salesman, whose
good humored countenance is well known
through the borders of half dozen States
and whose sample trunk requires an extra
dray to transport.
A full corps of clerks, statesmen and as
sistants in the various departments com
prise the staff of this establishment Mr.
Orren Lloyd, assists Mr.. Carpenter in the
bookkeeping department. Messrs. Emile
Buffatt, VIM. Bauman and James Cruze
are found in the sales room, while Messrs
Henri Buffatt, Roundtree, Thompson anc
James Lloyd, compose the clerical force IL
the order department, and Charles Gouf-
fen has charge of the packing department
in which he is kept proficient in filling or
ders.
Messrs. Woodruff d Co. commence
business under unfavorable circumstances
in a country that had been harried by con
flcting armies, but in the face of all obsta
cles have seen their trade increasing yea
by year until it is now five times as grea
, as that of any house in East Tennessee
the fruit of attention, business sagracit.
/ and integrity.
Painful Accident,
WRIGHT