Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-05-13
LARGE MERCANTILE HOUSE.
W. S. Gum & Sons i'm Their New and
Spacious Quarters Brief Oescrip-
tion OF the House, Special
ties, Etc, Etc.

teSs CtC., EtC.
While time in It's unerring course down the
ages knows no change IN its onward march,
common humanity, struggling for the upper
most round on the ladder of fame and for
tune reaches,the goal. else fails, for want of
talent 10 comprehend the situation or lack
of ability and energy to successfully COM
pete with the conflicting elements. 1t Is es-
timated that only about five out of one hun
dred men going into the mercantile trade
succeed, thereby leaving ninety-tiye failures.
This being true necessarily makes the sue
cessful eminently fitted for the occupation
they have chosen. In this latter class ranks
". ). Gum, who has been IN the merchan-
uizing business IN this city since 1919, and
the regular hardware trade over thirty years.
In all this time he has continued upward and
onward, increasing his business and growing
ing IN wealth regardless of the chang
ing times until the present day,
when be owns numerous buildings and blocks
and mas one of the largest, finest finished,
most complete hardware houses IN Michigan
or anywhere else. The firm of W. :. Gum
81 Sons have Just moved into their new trad
ing house. Nos. Il and - Monroe street,
which Is very commOdious and has been ar
ranged IN splendid style 10 facilitate the ex-
tensive retail and jobbing trade of the firm:
l2xl03 feet, and 25x2OO feet of basement
rOOm l. occupied under the main business
department and III the block adjoining, also
owned by Mr.. Gum. for the storage of iron,
mails, etc. The main room on the first floor,
i2xlO3 feet, including a packing room IN
the rear OF thirteen feet l. finished and fur
nished in accordance with good taste, the
eternal fitness of things and the finest work
manship of skilled artists. Two spacious
entrances aud large plate glass windows orna-
ment the front, and a tasty office
and counting room with fancy iron railing
lighted from above-is the central figure.
gallery or balcony about five feet wide,
reached by wide and richly carved stairway
at the rear, extends around the room, save
IN front. The north side of this gallery Is
hned with all kinds OF copper, stone, iron
and tin ware IN the way of tea and coffee
pots. boilers. cake boxes, etc. In the rear
l. every conceivable variety OF willow bss-
kets. bells chairs and so on to the end of an
mplete Inst Of beautiful and useful articles.
The shelves on the south side are packed
with unbroken packages of hardware and
builders material for the j0bbing trade.
Below this gallery on the same side the
shelves are lined with hardware, cutlery and
the like for the retail trade. as also the cOun-
ters with show cases filled with fine goods
in the cutlery line. Below the gallery on the
north side may be seen a very large assort-
ment Of stoves, ranges and cooking utensils
Of all kinds.
Nessrs Gum make q speciality of the
stove trade keeping on sale constantly a
large stock of the best invented and i'm
proved stoves and ranges anywhere made.
The Garland stove, az generally admitted.
Is not exceiled By any heating or cooking
institution yet invented. The firm deal ex
tensively Ia stoves made by the Michigan
Stove Company.
In order % make perfect n possible. the
building department of this house. which
has never been fully up to Mr.. G1nu's idea.
F the services Of Mr.. John Rawson. A we'll
known boss contractor and builder. has
T been secured. and he will have the super
vision Of the entire establishment. making
buiiders' supplies a specially. that being a
distinct feature Of the house. Through this
Z arrangement the firm h0Fe and expect 10
save builders much trouble and delay for the
want Of and in waiting for articles, not
usually Kept on the shelves Of hardware
merchants. a. Mr.. Raw on viii know Of
everything wanted IN the hardware line of
buildinT. and VIII see that the stock u com
plete ia every particular. Mr.. kavson r. ~
vel and fsverably known among builders
As Is the firm Of v : Gum 8 sons IN the
commercial world. and that Is quite credit
enough.