The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1885-04-08
THE TOWN OF ATHENS.
Il Live TOWn Nth Lice Business
Men in 10.
WHAT ONE OF THEM HAS TO SAY.

WHAT ONE OF THEM HAS ~ Sal.
Dropping into the store OF ID. II. Bart.
lett, at Athens, a few days since, we found
him figuring up The amount of the years
business. With view to give our read
ers an idea of what a one.holse country
store can do when driven by man who
understands the business as we'll AS any
man la the county; We asked him II he
was willing to be interviewed In regular
Presidential siylep Sienifying his willing
ness, We opened our light artillery ON him
What amount of business have you done
here Mr.. b. since commencing about one
year ago2
Well, | have not quite got the figures on
that yet, but a. near as | can estimate,
have done Il business of at least $50, 900.
find that my bank account figures close up
to that amount, and as that does not rep
resent all of my payments for goods dur
ing the past year, think do not over es-
innate. Now that does not include any of
my produce trade, but only what have
sold directly to the consumers In this Vi
cit ity.
Is that not quite large business for a
country store in place where the TRACE
had largely drifted of out of town.
Yes call it a very good business, GER
tainly about double the trade anticipated
when located here. Aud when you take
into account the low price of all classes of
merchandise, it Is quite an amount to han
die. | have been in business when the
same merchandise would have figured up
to 5000, 600; but that was during the war.
In ordinary tiTes, such as we bave seen
within the past ten years, | think 1t would
g. OF NnW N al1i-
ton to this have handled very large
amount of produce, for instance, SAP bar
rels of beans, some 10000 lbs of dried
apple, 5000 bushels oats, butter and eggs
in unlimited gu ntties wool, sheep skins,
round hogs aud In fact every thing that
the farmers have to sell, including between
800 and 400 cords of bark and nearly four
hundred thousand shingles.
l understand that you have larger
amount of merchandise come into Skow-
hogan than any man in the county, Is that
fact?
cannot tell what others rave, but
know that have had very large amount.
| have just been figuring up the amount of
my fret. ht bills for eleven months aud find
that have paid at Skowhegan S2,467.S9.
| have had large amount of freight come
through on which the freight was paid at
the other end or the line. Then there is
nearly another months bills to come in and
| calculate that So, 900 will not more than
cover my freights for the year. In lbs. l
have had over 600 tons hauled thus far,
which Is an average of more than one car
load Oh goods per week, or two tons each
business day. My sales Of -four has been
more than 200O barrels thus far. | have
bought in the eleven months 1888 barrels
flour, and am now negotiating Tor anoth-
er car load. Have bought two and one
half carloads of Kerosene Oh; TWO car.
loads of Coarse Salt; about four cars OF
Molasses; over thirty-fve thousand lbs. OF
sugar and other goods in proportion.
These figures for freight do not cover any
thing that have shipped to market in the
shape of produce. | presume when 1t is
all figured up will find that there is no
store in the county that has done SO large
Il business
You have established quite reputation
for selling goods at low prices, and have
built up quite u trade here 10 very short
time Mr.. b. now can you tell me how you
have succeeded IN doing it2
Well, in the first place man must have
Datural disposition to sell goods at a
small profit, 1t must be bonn In him, in or
der for him to do so, then he must have a
disposition to work and to deal fairly and
honorably with bis customers, and he will
not fail to have good business. pre-
sumo there is no man living who is any
more willing to sell goods ct small profit
than 1 am. can remember when l was a
boy and used to peddle molasses candy and
boiled eggs on town meeting days. l was
always for making immense sticks for q
cent aud would buy eggs at IL cents per
dozen and boil them and pc die them out
at a cent apiece. If l came out 5 or 10
cents ahead at night | was always satisfied
provided hao done big lu ,iuess. Now
farmers are the keenest and sharpest peo-
pie in the world. They have to be in Or
der to We, and they quickly find out where
they can get the most goods for their pro-
duce and money. At Harmony, during the
last ten years of my trade | actually dis
counted prices at any of the railroad cen.
tres, Notwithstanding the distance had to
haul goods. | was alone In trade there
nearly the whole of that time and the far
mers would have gone out of town en-
masse could they have made anything by so
doug, but nearly everyone of them were
willing to admit that their home market
was better than any which they could find
abroad. "Small profits and hard work is
the secret"
What is your prospect for another years
business?
We're it not exceedingly lad times should
consider it very good. Trade must be
lighter all around than last year, but If |
have my health this summer hope to hold
my own. Last summer broke entirely
down about the first of June aud was not
able really to keep my feet and 1t was not
until the first of November that could do
days work. Notwithstanding which
think convinced some people that goods
could be sold In Athens as low as at any
other point. If can keep my feet this
year am going to do what | can to con-
vince the people of this county that Athens
is the centre of the world and the natural
and best pl ce to buy and sell all kinds of
merchandise. We have got a mineral
spring here and we have got meeting
house that we have but little use for 1t
will make good court house. Then we
have got railroad, or rather charter for
one. The present court house at Skowhe'
gap can be used for Jail until such time
as the county sees lit to build one here.
You can see MIR. Reporter what the newt
able is. Good day, Mr.. Reporter.