The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-28

larged. The business today is in
the Hays block on the southwest
cornea of Douglas avenue and Water
street and occupies the three floors of the
block which is twenty-five by one hundred
and thirty feet The wool teade which at
first did not amount to much, developed
rapidly and at present occupies the Bruhn
block on Water street adjoining the build
ing recently occupied by the Wichita Gro
Gerry Company. The building is fifty by
one hundred and forty feet three stories
and will be occupid during the wool sea-
son by the trade in that department. Last
year over two car loads were handled by
Mr.. Hayes shipped in from the southwest
and it is estimated that the business
this year will exceed that of last.
In this department it is also observed that
the wool reaching the trade in the last few
years is of much better quality and grade
than if an early day. In fact the improve
ment in the last six years has been very
| twelve years in his business
| The first floor of the Hays block is used
! as a salesroom and contains samples of
everything handled. In the harness case
are thirty sets of harness, nothing dupli-
| u. uunuIHu
! sets, and while every variety known to the
J trade is made in the harness department,
! if any one wishes to suggest any new style
and pay for his order he will be accommo-
dated on short notice. The harness made
and kept in stock. range from light single
and double to heavy team harness. In
this business as in all others there is no
poverty of pleasing names to designate the
different varieties. Nothing is so odd or
so commonplace that in any way puzzles
the manufacturer to get a name to fit
East Lake" is the name given a light
double harness, and glance at a set al
most suggests a whirl around a fresh
water lake. "Bon-Ton," Diamond"
Summit" and "Wire BaIl' are some of
the favorite names.
The samples from the saddle making
department in the saIesroom occupy
considerable space. The most prom
nent kinds are the Morgan tree"
saddle and the Texas cowboy" The
kid and slender dude are not for
gotten for the good fathers have money
and foot the bills. They can also find
something to suit their distorted fancy
and the salesman thinks nothing more of
selling something of that kind than they
do a more durable style
The salesroom also contains samples of
harness leather, nets, blankets, whips,
curry-combs, brushes, halters, brides and
hardware findings of all kinds known to
the trade.
The second and third floors are
reached by an elevator. Half
of the second is used for a
ware room for sole leather, whips, harnes
lines, halters, brides, and breast straps
The remaining half of the floor is occupied
with the shop in which harness, saddles,
brides and shoe uppers are made. 1t was
not until about two years ago that Mr.
Hays added the manufacture of shoe and
boot uppers to his business. The demand
in this line as he thought justified it and
as a result this department was added and
the result has been entirely satisfactory.
Twelve men are employed in the shop in
the various lines and the increase in bust
ness within the last few months is demand |
ing more capacity in this department
which will be complied with within few |
weeks.
The third floor is occupied mainly with |
horse collars of twenty varieties, each sup |
piled with a patent leather or canvass |
name. Mr.. Hays has in the business about |
S150,000 and at present has six men on the |
road sending in orders from western Kan |
sas, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, |
Texas and the territory. The shipping de-
partment is kept quite busy, and the pres |
ent trade by far more satisfactory than it |
was in the early day.
The city is probably better supplied in a
wholesale and retail way with establish
ments dealing in leather than in any other
line. The Wichita trunk factory and /.
supply house and McComb Bros, |
noticed in the EAGLE, represent
ing various departments in this line, and
this does not complete the list.