St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-07
has marked the history of st. Paul in
HOW THE JOBRERs TAIK.

st. Paul is each year becoming the
jobbing center of a larger area OF the
great Northwest, and her interests in
this line are of great Importance. The
section from Northern Michigan to the
Pacific coast, taking in all the north
country, and as far south as Northern
Iowa and Nebraska, naturally looks to
| st. Paul as a base of supplies. In the
seven leading jobbing lines dealers
| generally report an increased spring
trade over that of 1888, while all are
| branching out into new territory. OF
| the spring dry goods trade E. A. Young,
of Finch, Van Slyck d Co.. said to the
| GLOBE:
speaking for our firm, I can say that bust
ness ness has been satisfactory IN the amount of
sales, the total increase over last year to date
| being between 20 and 25 per cent. This is
largely due to the fact that trade has been
| pushed in new fields. The unfortunate short
| age of crops through quite a section of coun-
| try tributary to st. Paul cut off considerable
| trade which cannot be regained until an
| other crop is harvested, but this has been
| more than made up. Collections have been
| very much larger than we had any right to
| expect. showing that merchants through the
| entire Northwest are getting better off each
| year. and better able to stand reverses. From
! dry goods standpoint 1t does not look as if
| this season would be very profitable one,
| as this class of merchandise has been sold on
closer margin of profit than ever before.
| St Paul will easily hold its own this year
from mercantile standpoint"
Everything looks very encouraging" re-
marked Mr.. Lindeke, of Lindekes, Warner &
| Schumacher ''Our dry goods business has so
far been frst-class, and since Jan. our
| books show steadily increased sales over
| 1883. The early spring and good weather
| have had mnch TO do with this. This ism t
| booming. We need no boom. 1t is simply
fact
HOW GRoCERs FEEL.
dull fop
| sale grocers," said Col. Granger, of P. H.
| Kelly t& Co., "but the spring trade has picked
Up, and is looking quite encouraging. Orders
are coming il freely, and the business is of a
| good, healthy tone that is satisfactory all
around. Frequently we have had quite a
| boom in the spring, but the general depres-
| sion all over the East is felt in the Northwest,
and and merchants aNIedts are becoming much
orders than before, and, of course,
oftener. All in all, think the trade
is decidedly in better condition than year
ago. at this time-that is, it is good and
| healthy in character which is much better
| than trade of the spasmodic kind. 1t is a
| matter of surprise that there have been so
| few failures. The volume of business seems
about the same as last year. I'd like to go
into the freight question with you, but that
| is something which would take all the after
| noon.''
4. II. Allen, of Allen, Moon & Co.-The
| spring trade is Just fairly beginning and it
is three weeks earlier than last year. The
| closeness of the money market and the fail
| ure of crops have made the outside merchant
pretty careful in buying, and the country is
Somewhat bare of goods Our volume of
business for the last three months has been
much larger than for the corresponding
period in 1888, but values are less. The in
| dlcations for the future are pretty good.
| I'm satisfied with the outlook.
THE BOOTS THEY WEAR.
| ''ITade in boots and Shoes" said r. H.
Stevens, of Gotzan & Co., as he tipped back
in his chair for chat started in freely with
the spring demand about month ago. The
country trade is feeling somewhat demoral-
iced on account Of the winter business, but
things are improving rapidly. Mail orders
are increasing daily, country dealers seem to
be having a demand for goods and the out
| look for a good business little later on is
| very encouraging The experience of coun-
| try storekeepers last winter was very severe
one. They bought heavily in the fall, and
still have the goods on their hands. They
will be slow to recover, but not as slow as
some think. The fine weather and early
| opening of spring has enabled the farmers to
bring in their produce. Spring work must
be begun and help employed. This causes a
demand for goods. and those who have any
money must spend it. In some localities
where we sell, the farmers are without re-
sources: They, have. absolutely nothing.
Again, in other localities, where crops were
good, the advance i'll prices last fall proved
temptation to wait for still higher prices,
and the result is that much wheat is
| h, DdkOIa.
The low price of stock at this time
is also proving a detriment to trade,
as farmers do not feel like parting with their
animals at the low rates ruling. However,
we have experienced but few actual failures
since January 1, which is good evidence of a
sound condition of dealers generally. Many
had to lay down, but an exhibit OF their con-
dltlon has always been sufficient to enable
some arrangement to be made so that they
could continue. Sales SO far are somewhat
less this season than last but we have no de-
sire to force goods just now. realizing that
the next crop Of the farmer is largely mort.
gagged TO pay present Indebtedness. The
outlook for the tail business will or course
depend on the summer showing of the
crops, but trade in the fall will necessarily
be lighter than last year, as so many last
| winters stocks are being carried over. The
spring trade will help the country dealers
out on their small bills. while the large ones
have already been provided for. Now what
is needed is an abundant harvest"
HARDWARE.
"BusinessF" remarked c. W. Hackett. SIS
that what you want to know about? It's
very active, more SO than last year. Our
spring trade has been on for two months.
| AT present we cover so much territory that
partial failure here and there does not affect
us as it would have done few years ago. l
think this is generally true of jobbiDg houses
in all lines. Collections are about as usual
at this season. They are generally slow until
the harvest is over. In some sections they
are good in others poor. Collections, like
the trade, run more in streaks than ever be-
fore. Where they had good crops they have
lots of money. Where they have no crops
they have no money. But business as q
whole is good
CLOTHING.
c. L. Kelly of ii. c. Burbank & Co.-Trade
in clothing so far is first-rate-much better
than last year. 1t opened little earlier, and
we have sold at least % per cent more goods
up to date than we had at this time last year.
AS to the cause of the increase hardly know.
h0Ua " huc
ness somewhat, especially in Montana and
Dakota. Where the crop was a failure mer-
chants are buying very sparingly, but the
tending to put everything on bet
stand that If we get good crop this year
we shall look for great business. Every
thing hinges on that. Failures, think, will
be even fewer in the future than i'll the past
If nature is kind. You see, merchants are
buying much smaller bills than usual. They
meet these bills promptly and lhen buy an.
other bill. There has been a wonderful
change from the outlook in December, and
everybody ought to be satisfied.
DRUGS.
"The year in the drug business" said D.
r. Noyes, of NoyeS Bros. d Cutler, ''opened
with rush of trade. Our January sales
were Is per cent greater than in January
1855. February was quieter and showed nc
gains, but March more than made up for it
April opens showing an increased trade in
every direction, but especially IN the matter
OF new stock orders, five of which are now in
progress of filling, among them some of the
largest orders we have ever had Where are
the new drug stores? There's one at Helena,
one at Spokane Falls, another at st. Croix
Falls-in fact, they are scattered all over the
Northwest. There is the most marked de-
velopment in the far Western trade AS an
indication of what we are doing: On the
first day of this month we filed 491 city or
ders and 225 from the country. The in
crease in our trade is due to the wonderful
development OF the country. Local failures
this spring have been few. Collections have
been backward, and the effort to collect has