Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-10-23


from this market
The trade is increasing at the rate of 10
per cent per annun, although i'll some
lines the increase is % per cent. The
early dealers carried goods of a cheap
quality, for the trade did not demand fine
goods. As the country became older and
the people more wealthy, demand for a
finer quality of goods was created, and
the dealers had to meet the demand.
Every year the quality of goods Is grow
ing finer. the com mission business of
various lines cuts large figure in the
wholesale trade, but the commission men
rarely sell to the retail dealers.
The various kinds of Wholesale trades
are clannish and gather together in the
same locality. The dealers in dry goods,
boots and shoes, clothing, rubber goods,
and hats and caps can be found between
Fifth avenue and the river and from Mad
ison street to Jackson. The grocers and
coffee and spice men have their places of
business on Michigan and Wabash ave.
nues, north of Randolph street, and on
River street. The produce and commits
sion men occupy all of South Water
street and portion of Market and Kin
Zle streets. The seed and wool dealers are
on Kinzie street, while the hardware and
stove men cling to Lake street. It is
singular fact that every dealer who has
attempted to do business outside of the
district has made failure of 1T and been
obliged to return.
DRY GOODS.
The wholesale dry goods trade has the
greatest magnitude of all the wholesale
interests in the city, which is the largest
market OF this class of goods in the world.
Chicago also has the largest dry-goods
~ IL 81 @l,o 4
size. The trade represents between $780,
100000 and $1O0,OOO,O0o annually, while
more than 5000 persons are required to
keep the machinery of. the waste stores in
motion. The rate d increase in the
volums of trade is about 10 per cent. per
annum. The business began in 1850
IN small way, aud has gradu-
ally reached its present mammoth
proportions. In 1850 there were a num-
Der of Wholesale houses along the banks
of the Mississippi, but they have nearly
all gone out OF business. The building
of the railroads diverted the trade from
these river points and drove it into the
railroad ceniers The wholesale houses
in the West are dependent upon this
market for their supplies. The trade is
carried on by agencies aud travelling
men, but the greatest feature is the semi
X
big emporlums of trade for the selection
of stocks The dry goods business Is
different from otner lines in that
samples do not give an accurate
idea of the goods they represent,
The country merchants reallze that
better selections can be made froGi the
stock itself than by trusting to the
samples shown by the drummers. The
trade has healthy growth and keeps
pace with that of the city. Last year was
the most satisfactory In the volume of
business that was ever had. The territory
which is tributary to this market ex tends
from the Alleg hanles IN the east to the
Ohio river en- the south, and even ex-
tends below into some parts of Kentucky,
Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana.
All of the Western States and the borders
of the British possessions are also sup
piled from this market. The local city
retail trade is also large item in
connection with this business. Chicago's
high rank in the market of the world is
due to the close com petition and the i'm
mense stocks, which are handled on close
margins. So great Is Chicago's reputa-
ton as cheap dry goods market that
close buyers come here from every direc-
ton. Tie duty of the travelling men Is to
visit customers between their semi-annual
visits to the stores and introduce new
lines of goods and take orders for filing
depleted stocks in standard lines of goods.
The handling of speciaities is confined
entirely to the dry goods commission men
who compose large class in this city.
A frst-class dry goods house keeps
every thing used by the retail dealers.
The bulk Of the goods is of domes ic
make, the imported goods being but a
small part of the whole stock. large
dry goods house Is divided in to depart
ments, which are really large stores under
one management, and each department.
is really a specially house. The dry
goods business does not run to specialties,
but is growing to large houses. The fact
that the large houses keep every thing is
of great advantage so the buyer, as he can
save tins and obtain better selection of
goods at better prices than if he had to
run to several different places.
BOOTS AND SHOES.
Second in Importance to the dry goods
trade only is the wholesale boot and shoe
trade, which was the first line to be estab-
lished as a wholesale business in Chicago.
Previous to 1845 everything needed by
Chicagoans was kept in general stores.
In that year wholesale jobbiDg house
was established which dealt exclusively in
boots and shoes. The first year sales
amounted to $4,000, while now they
raach $40,OO0,O0O annually. An average
salesman would feel like resigning his
position if he could not sell $4,000 wortE.
of goods in a dull year. When the
frsf store wal established only the
cheapest quality OF boots could be sold.
There We're no railroads and Chicago was
nothing but a little country town where
the farmers drove with their OK carts and
farm wagons. Now none bus the finest
grades of footwear satisfy her citizens.
The wholesale dealers now manufacture
their own goods, most of which are adapt
ed to the Northwestern trade, although
Chicago furnishes better class Of goods
than any city in the country. The terri
tory tributary to this region includes
the West, Northwest and Southwest.
The dealers do not run to specialties
and there is no exclusive jobbing
house in the city. The employment
of travelling men is not SO general as
formerly but the customers buy most of
the goods from sam pies. The competi-