Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-14
WHOLESALE DRY GOODS.
Something Concerning the Well
known House OF Furmau a Co.

Something Concerning the Well g..
known House Of Furman 4 Co.
The history Of the wholesale dry goods
trade Of Nashville, amplifed as it well
might be, would fill a volume. 1t would
tell Of day of small beginnings years and
years ago; it would tell of prosperity fol-
lowed by all the adverse circumstances that
war can entail upon commercial enterprise,
and it would speak in glowing colors of the
restoration Of trade when peace returned.
Our province as reporter is simply to etch
Outlines-we cannot give the space reqrir-
ed for details as regards the past, and so we
content ourseif with presenting such points
as bear upon the wholesale trade Of the
city as it is now, andas it has been for nearly
a decade Of years.
The house of Furman & Co. was estab-
lished in 1856, if we are not mistaken,
then as now an exclusive jobbing concern.
That firm was comprised of four gentlemen,
two Of whom, Andrew Campbell and James
GOOdloe are since deceased, while Messrs
F. Furman and Geo. Searight are still liv-
ing. Scarcely had a prosperous, we'll
grounded business been fairly established
by the house when the war compelled its
cessation. In July, 1865, Mr.. Furman, at
that time alone, again threw open the doors
of the house to trade. This was the first
jObbing enterprise TO be established after
the war, and for sometime remained the
only wholesale dry goods house in Nash
vile.
In July, 1866, Capt. Frank w. Green be-
came associated with Mr.. Furman, and the
firm became Furman, Green & Co, whose
dissolution subsequently occurred by Iimi-
tatiOn in June, 1869. Mr.. Furman there
upon carried forward business alone until
the following January, when the present
drm was formed, comprised Of F. Furnan,
F. 2. McWhirter, James A Jennings and
Edward Gillian, jr. The senior member
came to Nashville from MARYLAND about
thirty years ago, and previous to engaging
in jO5bing was for a long term Of years one
Of the prominent retail merchants Of the
city. Few of our business men have had
so active a career, and none. are better or
more favOrably known throughout all the
country tributary to Nashville.
Mr.. McWhirter has been identified with
~
cept during the inteTeguum caused by the
war. For some years he was associated
with I. W. & ". 81. Evans; subsequently
was with Bransford, AicWhirter & Co, and
since 1869 has been one Of the firm Of Fur
man & Co.
Mess-s. Jennings and Gillian have both
been with the house since the War-frst as
employees, and since 1869 as co-partDers;
Twn al n
liam has been connected with the house
for nearly twenty years.
MessrS. Furman d Co. usually give en-
plOyment to five or six travelling statesmen,
and the trade Of the house is derived from
Tennessee, Northern Georgia, Northern
Alabama and Southern. Kentucky. It has
won to itself a trade peculiarly its own,
too. Having been the first in the field
after the surrender, it obtained scores of
customers who had been in the habit of
buying in the North or at Memphis, Lou
isVille, Mobile and New Orleans. II d.
verted an immense trade to this city, most
Of which has been retained, and the house
still holds large per cent. Of the custom
ers then obtained.
The drm Is located at No. l Hicks
Block, northwest corner Of College street
anu Lu5 uOLLC C4udLts ueIe lOuI uOOIs
are occupied. The first, OF basement, is
largely hlled with staple goods, and is also
used as packing and shipping departments;
the second, or ground floor, is filled with
staple goods, such as callicOes, sheetings,
muslins, etc, and the third with dress
goods. Uupon this floor, also We find the
white goods and notions departments, a
complete establishment in itself, while the
fourth floor is devoted to millinery goods
umbrellas, and a thousand miscellaneous
things. In brief, the establishment is such
an one as we would expect to find presided
over by live, wide-awake, honorable bust
ness men-gentlemen who have studied the
merits and dement's, the intricacies and
mysteries Of the dry goods trade-a house
that reflects credit upon Nashville and
that deserves a long and prosperous career.