Telegram-herald., 1891-01-07
THE FURNITURE MEN
/ PROSPEROUS TRADE REPoRrED
Frsm An ss<tisxs--ghs uensss n>sis az
ths nusaasss and kAsw ths Weslas
AArksa IL AePEeesased ~
Representative DsAIexA

The rear guard of furniture men
Will move into the city not later than
Friday Of this week. These are tAs
quick. nervous buyers. The advance
column is already well entrenched.
There few buyers. bat the great ma
jority are sellers. The headquarters Of
both contlngents is at the Morton
House. The men are eli sleek, we'll
fed and weil-dresssd fellows and bear
an unmistzkabls air Of thrift and pros-
perity. Many Of them are simply
agents who move and act in obedience
TO the telegraph instrument manipu-
lated by the longheaded principal At
home. Lots of the, are shrewd, orlgl-
nal operators 10 whom their principals
give full authority TO exercise their own
judgment, both in purchasing and SELL
ing.
The furniture men are honest dealers.
they have not been corrupted by the
gllttering allurements of trusts and
combines. They stand for vigorous
and unhampered competition. free
from entanghng alliances one with an
other, or select few with all the rest.
The result is that the only sharp prsc-
tees restorted 10 are easily recognized
as commercial push, dash. nerve and
pluck. The basis Of the business Is not
controlled by despotio and greedy
capitalists, but all are placed on an
equal footing, so that the small manu-
facturer stands an uncnallenged peer
OF the big one. There is little so-calied
speculative dealing. There are no
bulls and bears; no corners"
..pinches," nor runs" The wild ex-
cltement OF board and pit is not the
magnet that draws these men from all
over the country 10 Grand Rapids,
twice every year. No; II is the GER
tainty that here they Will find their
products. offered in an open market,
regulated in value by the inexorable
law Of supply and demand.
In spite of the conservative and hon.
est character of the worlds furniture
market, II has It's Jay iGould. Not IN
the sense of wrecker, or greedy cor
morant, but IN the highest attributes OF
business sagacity and levei-headedness.
His name is Pullman, Fred Pullman,
and he resides in New York. He is said
to be veritable encyclopedias of furni-
ture information. He knows all about
all kinds of wood from hemlock 10 rose
wood; can quote you the price on glue,
nails, varnisn, screws, putty, oil, brass.
stain and the endless items entering
into the manufacture of furniture with
lightning rapidity and accuracy; can
give you the labor cost and transporta-
ton charges on a gwen amount IN
twinkling, and finally will buy from
you or sell TO you while you are making
no your mind. He is the wizard of the
furniture world, and all the others take
their cues from HIM. He operates above
board, howe, er, and is ready at all
times TO give one the benefit of his ex-
perience, provided il doesn't interfere
with his own deals. To see him moving
about the lobby at The Morton, you
would hardly suspect that ne is the
king be of the gathered torces-but he
is just the same.
Another shrewd one is c. J. Wende-
roth, of Wenderoth Bros, Chicago. He
looks 10 be about 80 years OF age, and
wears a sort of an assuring smile on his
face, and extremely well-ftting clothes.
His territory is largely IN the West, ex-
tending TO the Pacific Coast. This"
SAID be to the TELEoRAM-HERAL "Is
considered the furniture center Of the
world. 1t is, in fact, 70 the furniture
trade what Chicago - 10 the wheat
market and New York 10 the money
market. That's the reason we come
here to catch the buyers and sellers.
The finishes made here are concededly
original and are copied all over the
country-just as the ladies copy Wortb's
fashions. This season Grand Rapids
introduced English oak finish and all
the rest of the world is making English
oak furniture. It's the standard styie
and finish. Grand Rapids 10 neat
little city, has worldwide reputation
for furniture and viii, / believe, con-
tinue indefinitely to occupy its present
proud position"
A. f. Palmer, manufacturer at
Hillsdale, is a pleasant gentleman
whose ambition seems TO be 10 dIsplsce
the upholstered goods of the East with
those of Michigan manufacture. He
said; "Ny business was larger lastyesr
than ever before-the largest we ever
Tsd AMI thai too IN az, 70 s.f the MeEfr,-