Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-01
Tue RED HOUSE.
A Review Which Should be Read-A Re.
variable Business-Ihe Methods
and Capacity of the Red
House Establishments.
THE RED HOUSE.
SACRAMENTO AND MARYsvILLE

extensive establishment is located at Nos.
706, ia and 7l6 J street. 1t is dry
goods, boot and shoe, clothing, hat and cap,
fancy and variety store. The wholesale
and retail department occupies three floors,
each 20 by 100 feet. The clothing depart
ment is 20 by 60 feet in area. The hat,
cap, boot and shoe and holiday-stoek de-
partment has 20 by so feet of floor space.
In the basement goods are stored and bulk
broken; on the main floor is the retail dry
goods and fancy goods department /; and
on the upper floor is the wholesale depart
ment for cotton, cloths, cassimeres, hosiery,
wooden goods, furnishing goods, etc. The
wholesale trade of the Red House has
nearly doubled during the past year, and
extends throughout Northern and Central
California and all adjacent S ates and Ter
ritories clear to the Texan line
Although Mr.. Gilman expends no money
on solicitors experience having shown that
the expense Of them is equal to from five
to eight per cent. upon the goods-he has
several buying agents-two constantly in
the San Francisco market, attending trade
and forced sales and auctions; one agent
in New York, to secure advantages in the
dry goods and fancy-ssock lines, in hats,
caps and other specialties; and an agent in
Boston, who attends to the Red House
boot and shoe stock. The same agent
keeps up the supply of miners hob-hail
boots, pIow shoes and four kinds of bro.
CANS.
In the dry goods retail department are
six statesmen, and in the fancy goods de-
partment are seven. La the wholesale de-
partment there is one manager, with relays
of assistants. In the clothing department
two employees are engaged attending only
to retail customers. In the hat, cap, boot
and shoe department seven to eight sales
men are engaged, and these also superin-
tend the annual sale of holiday goods.
The Country Order Department is almost
the most important of the whole business
Thousands of dollars worth of goods are
sent weekly by mail Chiefly and by freight
and express to every part of the State, to
ill ''letter orders. Skilled men are en-
gagged constantly in acting for buyers not
present in person, and have orders to act
in every case as if buying for themselves
or families. The result is universal salts
faction. Thousands of people, from Wash
ington Territory all the way to New Mex
leo, send orders for goods by mail and
many by express trusting to the Judgment
of the Red House. The reputation of the
house thus beng at stake, even greater
than ordinary care is exercised in behalf of
the buyer.
In the sample order department. three
employees are constantly engaged. Samples
of goods are sent out by mail or otherwise,
throughout the length and breadth of the
country. in response to all calls so made by
letter. Here, too, all orders are received
and invoices made out, and here all inquir-
les by letter as to prices are answered free
of cost, in detail and with care The man.
ager has never yet, he says, sent out a
price list at higher rate than the goods
are charged for when sold over the counters
of any department, and the people of the
iubCllOi IdNt GOlllG W IGdilLG blliS lullY, anu
now trust to the department implicitly,
knowing that personal presence is not
necessary. Thus are distant buyers, either
by the dollar or by hundreds of dollars,
placed on a level with city buyers.
In hats and caps the Red House has a
constant full line of the best stock. TIE
hat and cap stock, comes about one-half
from manufacturers and one-half from
auction, trade and forced sales. Of the
clothing department the same is to be
said /; the stock is as full and varied In
quality as is to be found in any clothing
establishment III the city, while the prices
are as varied as the market, watched as it
is by Red House agents, possibly affords.
In flannel underwear, cottonade shirts,
overalls, cottonade pants and common
pantaloons, the house buys the raw mate
rial, brings it to Sacramento and has it
made up here, employing from twenty to
thirty seamstresses. This is a speciality,
and the goods are presented with strong
claims because of the personal supervision
of the manager, and because BarboUr's best
linen thread is used. The help outside the
store.rooms always outnumbers the en-
ployes inside.
In showcase and fancy goods the estab-
| lishment has always very fine and full
line Of goods, such as ribbons, laces, lace
goods, trimmings, gloves, ties, dress but
tons, braids, collars, and all the line of a
fancy goods and trimming establishment ;
also much millinery.
In holiday goods there is annually laid
in a large assorted stock at astonishingly
low rates, which the Red House offers
more as an accommodation than with a
view to large profits.
The Red House jobbing trade is an ex-
tensive and important branch of its vast
business. The stock is always so full that
the jobbing is never checked for want of
supply. The house does not require that
orders should be made of given quantity,
but sells by packages to dealers, to accom-
modate, which enables the latter to carry
on business with such quantity OF stock as
is desired.
/ cash business on both sides. | buy only
for cash and sell only for cash, and think
ing people will realize the advantage this
gives me. LIDO not open an account. and
pay for every cargo of goods | receive,
cash down" Reasonable minds will find
in this complete solution of the success
| OF the mouse.
MARYsVILLE.
The Red House has branch in Marys-
vile, under the management of B. f.
Gilman, where an even and general line of
goods like that at the parent house is kept.
| The spacious and handsome store-room
affords frontage of Al feet and depth
of 100 feet, or an area of 4 700 square feet,
and, with fourteenfoot ceiling affords a
storage capacity and display for goods of
60, 500 square feet.
The history of the house since located in
Marysville two years ago last April has
been one OF steady, rapid, substantial
progress This would not have been the
case without reason and without founda-
ton upon which to base policy of action.
Neither is there any hidden secret con-
nected Herewith. Instead of buying on
long credit and holding goods up at profit
of % per cent, the proprietor from the
start resolutely pulled out from the old
credit rut and confined his purchases and
sales to the ready cash system, and looping