Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-25
CONDITION OF OMAHA'S TRADE
Cold Snap Acted but Slightly as a Restric-
ton on Local Business,
COUNTRY BUYERS SILL COME TO TOWN
More Attention Is raid to Fancy Lines Thap
Heretoforo--Notions Keeping Pace with
staplcs-Ant cipatins Summer Sales
The Bank Clearings.

Although the cold snap Of the latter part
OF the week has no doubt had a tendency TO
restrict some lines Of trade, its effects have
scarcely been noticeable, The local iobbers
nave enjoyed another week Of active busi-
ness in all lines, and in many respects the
week has been an Improvement on all pre-
vious records this season. The trade con.
tlhues TO branch out more freely along gem
eral lines and unless some decided set back
is experienced the volume Of March businesa
In several lines will foot up TO fully ayeraeo
proportions, The attendance OF country
buyers, which has been the feature of tho
jobblng trade during the month, has NOT
diminished and is a tremendous benefit to
local trade. There is a growing tendency on
the part of buyers to pay more attention to
fancy lines instead of merely ordering their
stocks of staples, as they have been largely
doing heretofore. Trade in hosiery. UNDER
wear and furnishing goods, which has been
very light all the spring, is becoming more
active and a fair aggregate of orders for
these lines are recorded.
some of this freedom may no doubt be
due to the fact that the season is so far ad-
Nanced that these stocks must be filed M
II at all. Some of the retailers who ordered
the bulk OF their requirements early in the
month, leaving the fancy lines to be filled
out later, have decided to make their stocks
complete, and have added small bills of
hosiery and notions to their original orders.
Some of the local dry goods houses have
shown bargains in summer dress goods
during the week, in which they have done
a heavy business. The low prices at which
certain lines of goods have been selling con-
tinue, although any material gain in bus
mess at other points is liable to precipitate
an advance at any time.
The market is frmer all around on gro
GERS staples, although prices are not yet
quoted perceptibly higher. If business keeps
up, however, there is but little doubt that
there will be a sharp advance on various
lines that are now selling below the cost of
putting on the market. 1t is generally re-
ported that retail trade outside Of the city
is showing decided improvement, and this
belief is encouraged by a steady gain in col-
%lections. Canned goods are showing im-
provement and other lines Of fancy groceries
are coming into better demand.
In hardware, boots and shoes and other
lines trade is steady, with some perceptible
gain every week. Travelling men report that
they do not experience nearly as much diff
Guilty in selling goods as a month ago and
that the retailers generally are feeling
better every day.
That Omaha is rapidly distancing all COM
petitors as a desirable jobbing market is
becoming more evident every day. One day
last week a prominent retail merchant of
this state stopped off in Omaha for a day or
two on his way home from st. Joseph, where
he had purchased his spring stock of dry
goods. His curiosity led him into one of the
Omaha establishments where he found he
could have bought his goods a considerable
per cent cheaper than what he had paid in
st. Joseph, and have a fresher and altogether
more attractive stock from which to make
his selections. The result was that he wired
the st. Joseph house canceling his order, and
from now on will be a regular patron of the
Omaha jobbers.
The bank clearings show some falling of
on the last three days of the week, which
makes the total slightly less than those Of
the preceding weeks of this month. The
record is:
Monday S97. 529,6
6S2. 2Sl SO