Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-07-23
THE WHOLESALE CLOTHING
TRADE.
Some Facts and Figures Worthy to BE
Remembered.

Some few years back the Wholesale Cloth
ing Trade of Knoxville amounted to but
very little, and no one seemed to be willing
to take much risk in making a beginning.
by our enterprising wholesale merchants,
and dry goods, boots and shoes, hardware,
groceries, tobaccoes, ETC., were being sold
in every town and village in East Tennes-
see and adjoining States by our Knoxville
Wholesale Merchants but not so with
clothing to any extent worth mentioning.
The retail merchants within the reach of
the Knoxville Trade, were compelled to go
East if they wanted clothing, or buy from
drummers from Baltimore or New York,
and pay them good round price, in order
to meet their expenses, besides paying the
heavy freight on the goods.
Mr.. Joseph T. McTeer having been in
the Clothing Business for years, and being
thoroughly acquainted with the wants and
requirements of this trade conceived the
idea that by push and capital this trade
might be conferred in Knoxville with profit
to the merchant taking hold of it, and also
a great saving to the retail merchants of
East Tennessee and adjoining territory.
He entered into the business, and although
not possessing as much capital as he would
have liked to place in the business at once,
yet placing all the money he could, and be
ing thoroughly and favorably known among
the manufacturers of the East, he made his
purchases and launched he"enterprise. He
knew how to buy and sell his goods, and by
degrees succeeded in convincing the mer-
chants within the reach of his trade, that
they could not only do as well by buying
from him, and patronizing an East Tennes
see enterprise, but could actually save
money, and his trade increased instantly
and rapidly. His stock of goods was in
creased each season, and the list of his reg
ular customers grew almost daily until his
trade was being pushed almost to the ut
most limits of the sections of which Knox
vile is the business center. Some time
since his brother, Charles, also thorough
pushing business man, was taken into the
firm, and the business continued to prosper
beyond expectations.
II was found that the quarters occupied
were not sufficiently roomy for their IN
creasing trade, and the result was they
planned and erected a large double store
building on the opposite side of the street,
| adjoining Butt, DePue & Co., and now this
large and handsome building is just packed
| with goods from cellar to roof, and we ven
| ture the assertion there is not clothing
store in the South carrying heavier OIL
better stock of clothing.
| Why all this success? 1t is easily an
swered. The gentlemanly proprietors un
| derstand their business completely, and al
| they purchase in such immense quantities
from the manufacturers, they get discoun
far beyond smaller merchants, SO they ar
enabled to sell them here in Knoxville tt
the retail merchant cheaper than he coult
buy them in small quantities East, and saw
| his freight besides. The result was tina
the merchants transferred their trade to ]
T. McTeer Il Co., of Knoxville, where
should have been all the time. We are gla'
to note their prosperity and trust they vii
continue to meet with public favor.