Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-15
IT'S THE BEST YET
The Furniture Sales for the
Present Season
WILL SMASH THE RECORDS
Moves Before Has There Been So Much
and Such Artistic Furniture Sold
in Grand Rapids.


A Number Of furniture msa left the
city yesterday morning, but they were
principally the retail dealers IN the
towns that have easy access 70 Grand
RApids- The greater part Of the heavy
buyers are still In the city or yet 70 ar
rive. The numbsr Of furniture buyers
that have bssn IN the city for the past
few days has been unprecedented IN
The history Of the trade. Itis estimated
by conservative judgss that there are
st least nifty per cent more buyers IN
the market tnis year than ever before
In spite OF the reported dullness
Of the market and the repeated
claims that less furniture would be
sold this season than formerly, the
Gales thus far have been astonishingly
large. II 10 generally conceded by
everybody that The total amount viii
foot up 1t least 500, 900 in excess OF
anything the trade Ia this city has ever
before known. A member OF one OF
the largest firms Of furniture brokers
GALES OF his house would foot up four
| times as much as ever before. The
! firm 10 . responsible one and has al
| ways done q large business. A men,
| Der Of one Of the largest manufactur-
ing establishments in the city stated
that the sales for the present month
would be greatly in excess OF those for
July, 1890, and that month has always
been counted the most brilliant one In
the history Of the trade.
| Astouished the Natives.
The local dealers and manufacturers
are astonished, but most delightfully."-
60. They have been running their fac
tories up TO their fullest capacity for
several months. ana there was never
before SO much finished furniture IN
the Grand Rxpids warehouses ~ there
is now. It was feared by many firms
that the sales would be light and they
would be forced to carry = neavy stock
| OF goods over the season, necessitating
. reduction in the OUTPUT OF the fac-
tories and q serious financial loss. But
on the contrary, every furniture estab-
/ lishment in the city will be able to dis
pose of all the goods it can manufac-
ture with its present capacity.
The effect of this surprising increase
Of sales will have . marked effect on
the general business Of the city. OF
the hundreds of thousands OF dollars
worth Of furniture sold here every
year, BY = careful estimate from one
half to two-thirds 10 expended for
labor. The per cent varies according
TO the quality of the furniture. The
higher grades of fancy furniture re-
quire more labor 70 put them in mar
ketable condition., while the materials
cost only . tribe more than for the
cheaper grades. The effect of an in.
crease OF 500, 900 or $500, 900 in q sea-
sons sales must be readily noticeable
In the number of the employees.
labor win Profit BY IL.
The greater share of this increase
will 60 to the factory hands, and the
enriched By that addition. OF
course the recent furniture con-
vention has had much to do with
this increase. As previously stated, it
brought more furniture dealers to
Grand Rapidc than ever before congre-
gated here at any one time. 1t would
be safe to say that there 10 not single
one Of the dealers that did not care.
fully inspect the exhibit and purchase
. certain amount Of furniture. The
sales TO the heavy eastern buyers might
be materially decreased at the deficit,
but more than made good by this great
ipcrease Ia the number of smaller
sales. As matter of fact it is not the
purchases of the dozen or 90 big buyers
who come here that furnishes 4
clue to the real extent of the
sales. The almost innumerable pur.
, chases of the small dealers IL what
} virtually builds up the market, and q
special effort has baen made this year
to encourage this class of buyers.
Another thing that has stimulated
the sales is the unusually fine quality
of furniture now on the market.
Artistic Designs.
It is safe to say that there is not q
. single factory in the city that has MOI
surpassed all previous efforts IN the
way of artistic designs and high grade
. furniture. While there are no re-
markedly new features in the designs
yet they have been elaborated AND
finished 30 . degree that has produced
} the n,ost beautiful and artistic furni
ture ever manufactured IN America.
Some Of the individual sales have
been remarkable for their brevity. l.
I L. Clark OF Minneapolis, q memter Of
: the firm OF Decaster 4 Clark, pur
= chased six carloads in sixty minutes
!, He didn't call 1t much of an hour
; work either. One salesman connectee
) with one OF the largest Canal stree
concerns cold 81 900 worth while b,
was trying TO get ready to drive abou
: the city with the visiting delegates
As he expressed it, he couldn't driv,
$ 'em away. Most of the saiesmen hsv'
been up until midnight every nigh
: for . week showing samples TO buyers
, While the larger part of the pur
chasers have either visited the city o.
are here now. there are still . grea
{ many more expected TO arrive today
4 tomorrow, and for that matter all TIT
. rest OF the month.
q ----