The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-12
]. T. CAMPBELL & CO.
Established Five Years Ago as Branch
House and Now a Leading Whole
sale Grocery Company-Re-
view Of Their Business.

The name of J. 7. Campbell & Co. has
been known in Steubenville, o., for the
last twenty years as one of the leading
wholesale grocery firms of that state. In
1885 Mr.. Campbell was attracted to Wich-
ita by the f1attering inducements offered
by this city for business. After carefully
looking the ground over and estimating
the great possibilities of southern Kansas,
he concluded TO cast his fortune here He
did not open up with big flourish of
trumpets, but simply opened up branch,
making tobacco and cigars a speciality
As fast as he could wind up his affairs
in Ohio he began TO center his in
terests here and in the latter
part of 1887 moved his family to this city.
Firm headquarters is 143 North Market
street, and their show rooms have been
gradually enlarged from time to time as
business demanded. As soon as practical
BILE the entire lower floor of the Walters
Snively block will be needed for sales
room.
The cigar and tobacco trade gradually
increased and when Mr.. Campbell moved
here himself, he added a full line of gro
GERS sundries. After the opening of Okla
homa their trade was still further increas-
ed, and it became necessary to put a trav-
eler on the road. Business has gradually
improved and the territory of the firm has
spread out until it was expedient to cover
all lines of goods in the grocery trade. At
present this firm has three travelling men
and their orders cover the entire south
west, even encroaching upon Eastern
territory and include every branch of the
trade The last months orders exceed the
business of any preceding month and
their books will show steady increase in
trade each month since their opening. As
yet their business has not been pushed and
they have been content to simply take
care of the orders that naturally came to
them on account of location and former
business connection. The improved rail
road tariff will tempt them to enter the
field in earnest and compete in every sec
ton of territory tributary to Wichita for
share of the business and they propose to
still further extend their facilities until
they are able to fully supply the demands
of business. In answer TO the question
Mr.. Campbell said that although there
were several large wholesalers here there
was room for several more. In his opinion
the field was ample for several other
houses and that their establishment would
greatly benefit those already here The
combined influence of number of big
houses was what was necessary to enable
Wichita to take entire care of that which
in the very nature of things belongs to her.
The trade was tributary TO the city for
more wholesalers than would come here,
and the fight was not for business but
against outsiders who infringed and used
their united influence with the railroads
to enable them to do so. Thus far he did
not know that there was any complaint
on account of discrimination in rates, but
such Discrepancy would become more and
more apparent as the country tributary
developed and as houses located here to do
the business, which would naturally re-
suit in a satisfactory adjustment of all
such matters. The prospect for the whole
salers must necessarily improve with time
and at the present moment he knows of
no city in America that offered more in
ducements to jobbers than Wichita.