Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-05-23
Business


bad weather, is not rs
brisk rs it was a year ago, and yet
trade, we are informed, is by no
means as dull as some people sup
pose, and with anything like fair
crop, business will be unusually brisk
this summer and fall. Many of our
leading houses have put themselves
in order, and no matter what the re-
suit may be, so far as crops are con-
cerned, will be found. as usual, with
a full supply of goods, ready to ac-
commodate their customers as readily
as ever.
In this connection il may not be out
of place for us to give brief history
of the substantial and popular whole
sale and retail Hardware house of
EGAN HARPER & CO., of this city, who
stand at the head of the Hardware
business in the Des Moincs Valley.
They live at home, do business in
their own building, which is one of
the best on Main street, being built
by Messrs. Daggctt Il Edgerly ex-
pressly for the business. 1t is 1l5x24
feet, three stories high, with a cellar
the full size Of the building. In the
cellar YOU find an immense cargo of
heavy goods, not necessary to enum-
ate. On the first floor you find very
large stock Of Shelf Ware, Nails,
Glass, Farming Tools, Iron, Steel,
Wagon and Blacksmith Tools, and a
little Of almost anything you can
think of, from cambria needle to a
saw-mill. The second floor is occu-
pied by Wagon Lumber, Buggy
Wheels and Materials, while the third
floor is stored with a miscellaneous
stock of goods belonging to their
business. In word. their stock is
SO complete that dealers can safely
calculate on any order being filed
without delay.
On the first floor is located the of
flee, in which, at the. books, Mr.. Ed
A. Chambers prcsides, bat is never Sc
busy but he can find time to answer
all questions customer or friend may
PROFOUND. His place of business i.
as neat as pin, and he is always a,
home during business hours. lie has
been in the hardware business since
1866.
Mr.. Egan, the head of the firm
commenced as travelling salesman fol
Daggett 81 Edgerly in 1868, and Mr.
Harper as salesman for Henry &
lIaw, in 1867. Messrs. Egan & Har
per held these positions until after
the big fire of October, 1868, wher
Henry 81 Haw were burned out, and
not resnming business again, this
promising field was left to Daggett &
Edgerly alone. Egan & Harper each
having some capital, were not slow
to take advantage of the opening, and
soon after the fire, opened out with q
small stock of hardware under the
firm name of Egan & Harper, and
being young men of great energy and
splendid business capacity, soon be-
came worthy rivals Of the old house
of Daggett IL Edgerly, and were do.
ing a very prosperous business until
burned out by the fire of JAN, 1873
which destroyed Union Block, in
which they were located. About this
time Mr.. Daggett, of Daggett IL Har-
per, desiring to retire from the bus.
mess, fusion of the two houses was
made in February, 1873, under the
firm name of Egan, Harper & Co.,
Mr.. Edgerly retaining third inter.
est in the concern until Feb, 1874
when Mr.. Chambers succeeded him
Their sales during the past yeal
did not aggregate quite so much as
the year previous, owing in part, to
decline in prices, but principally to
the short crop and general financial
depression. Nevertheless the number
oftheir customers has considerably in
creased, but arc more economical and
careful in their purchases. The house
is very strong one financially
the members composing the firm, o.
our very best citizens in every re
spect, and people from abroad will
always find them in the market witt
full stock of hardware, no matte
how hard the times arc. They blu,
exclusively for cash, and custo
mcrs may rely on getting bottom
figures from the firm of EGAN, HAIR
PER 80 Co.
We should have said before tina
Robert Wilson, a strictly reliabl
young man, is their travelling sales
man, and q good one, too.