The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-07-26
A FURNITURE FACTORY.
A ROMANTIC MAKES SOME SENSI-
BILE SUGGESTIONS,
Urging the Establishment of a Factory
In Marietta.
ROME, GA, July "a, 1888.

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ted in your last issue. 1t not only
| shows that your paper is prospecting,
but it also shows that Marietta is
making rapid strides to the front,
which, if continued, cannot help but
make it one of the largest towns in
the State. | venture the assertion
that no person who has ever lived
in Marietta has any but kind feel
ings tor the place and wish it all the
success possible. So it is with me,
although have less cause, perhaps,
to feel so than any one who ever
left the place, yet it is so and any
thing | could do to benefit it or any
of its citizens would be great
pleasure. 1t is on this account that
| write this. | have thought for
several months of writing you let
ter of this sort, but have delayed
until this last issue spurred me up.
| have noticed your endeavors for
several years to get your citizens to
establish small industries of various
sorts, but SO far you have met with
little or no success, which simply
means loss to those who could
have engaged in the enterprises,
and a drawback to the town. live
in Rome and | believe that Rome is
building up faster than any town in
Georgia, and ] believe that if Rome
had the natural advantages that
Marietta has got and still re tanned
the citizens that Rome has got, she
would soon be the biggest city in
Georgia. Its the citizens that's do
ing the work. Let the citizens of
! Marietta band together after the
fashion of the Rome Land Co., and
see what Marietta will be in few
years. | can't tell you in this let
ter what they are doing for it would
be too long, but if you feel enough
; interested send man up here and
let him see and go back and report,
if you do you will see wonderfully
surprised man on his return.
My main object in writing was to
speak Of furniture factory in Ma
rietta. | read the article in your
last issue on this subject, also on
the different woods within easy &C
cess to Marietta. | know that eve
ry word was the truth and the half
has not been told.
The woods in those mountains
have got to be used and the best
place to use them is just as near
where they are cut as possible, and
the sooner some body gets to using
them the sooner they are going to
make some money, and help build
up the town.
Since leaving Marietta, | have
been engaged in the business of
furniture making, and furthermore,
| have known the history of this
factory since | come into the pres
ent management, and knew the
proprietors even before, and have
had every facility for learning any
thing else that | wanted to know
since coming here. Therefore what
| may say can be relied on. | men
ton this factory merely to show
what could be done in Marietta.
Less than three years ago, three
men with an aggregate cash capital
of less than $500 (note that leased
the factory which had been used be-
fore, and commenced to manufac-
ture furniture and collins. Their
first order outside of Rome was sold
in Marietta and they have told me
since that it cost them twice as
much to manufacture those goods as
they got for them, but it was be-
ginning and they studied where they
could cut down the costs. Soon a
margin was left for they began to
make in larger quantities. At the
beginning they made a dozen of
each article at time and felt un-
easy for fear they would be left on
their hands. The flood of 'S6 came
just at the time they needed to be
prompt with their orders and set
them back considerable. But they
managed to pull through, and that
fall thier trade increased and they
ventured more extensively in the
making of their supplies. Last year
they lost customers because they
could not supply the demand. Since
Christmas the factory has been en-
larged to three times it's former size
and "a lot Of new machinery added.
Now the proprietors are troubled
because they haven't room to store
greater lot for the fall trade.
Others seeing the success of this
factory started another here last
year with capitol of $4,000. 1t
is also doing good business. The
lumber we use comes from Chatta-
nooga and Knoxville. Cannot Ma
rietta get it as cheap and nearer
home?
Wages and taxes are cheaper in
Marietta than in Rome. AS for a
market that is everywhere. We
sell goods in Atlanta right under
the noses of all those factories, and
! IN, 1 ]