The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-25
BUSINESS YEAR
MERCHANTS ON SOUTH MERIDIAN
STREET MAKE LITTLE COMPLAINT.
Expression from Men I'm Various Lines
-Hardware Have Prof.
ited-The Liquor Trade.

merchants fOn lnlS street as 10 their Dus-
mess this year. and the general express
sion is that while It has been more spas
modic, the trade OF one week being large
and the next not so good. yet when they
aggregate up their business they find that
IL is considerably in excess OF the first ten
months OF 1891 In some lines the mildness
OF the fall weather has checked trade
somewhat"
Mr.. Murphy. OF Murphy. Hibben & Co.
says their business has been considerably
In excess of that of last year In the amount
Of goods Sold. and. of course. the advance
in prices Is still more favorable. yet dry
goods OF all kinds are selling very close.
A. Kiefer, wholesale druggist, says his
business has been very satisfactory, and he
thinks his competitors have done well. The
growth Of this class OF business In Indian
apolis has been remarkable. and on the
whole a profitable one TO those engaged
in IL.
Mr.. Daggett. of Daggett & Co., states
that. with the exception OF a few weeks
In midsummer, their trade had been a lit
tie above the average, and that their holi-
day trade bids fair TO be the largest in
the history of their business. This is an
other line of business that has expanded
remarkably. At the present time the three
leading houses are converting sixty to sew
enty barrels of sugar a day into confec-
tionery goods. with barrels OF glucose. One
firm this year In one shipment received $50
barrels of the best glucose.
The ~crockery and glassware houses have
had a good year, especially in the sale of
fruit jars. glass jars having become in
greater favor for family canning of fruits.
Mr. Hollweg, OF Hollweg & Reese. says that
their house has this season sold eleven
thousand gross of fruit jars, and in other
lines Of goods their trade has been very
satisfactory.
The hardware merchants have had a good
year. There has been a good deal Of build
ing in progress. which helped the
men. and the increased activity with the
manufacturers has created q better demand
for hardware OF different descriptions. MI.
Van Camp says he has no room for conn.,
plant. When iron and steel began to ad-
especially of nails, and this was. of course,
ION the right side of the ledger"
Probably there is no line OF business on
South Meridian street which varies so lit
tie in volume from year to year as that OF
the boot and shoe merchants. This Is evil
denced in the fact that there are no more
WnO.eSdle boot ana SnOe houses thdn tWen>
ty-fve years ago, and while the sales in
years when there Is a good deal Of cold,
rainy. bad weather are larger than i'm years
when the weather is more agreeable. one
OF their number says on an average but
few lines hold their customers and from
year TO year sell about the same amount OF
goods as the shoe men. By this he meant
Increase In that line Of trade, 1t hadn't
been as striking and perceptible in its
growth as in some other lines of goods.
n2. the 4If.
Stove Company. states that the years
business has exceeded expectations. The
spring trade was highly satisfactory. but
in the early fall was disappointing. Later
it became much more active. This year the
company has run the stove foundry more
steadily and with a larger force than In
states that his business every month of the
present year has shown a handsome I'M
p%rrovement over that of 1884 and of course.
vance in iron and steel products.
Mr.; Taylor; OF the nrm OF taylor 4
spects. They have sold more betting, for
instance, than in either of three former
been more active and betting has become an
important item with leather dealers. Tn
fortunately for them leather has been on a
decline. and 1t has been a struggle with
lower.
The wholesale milliners report their trade
as averaging well WITH lpEuncT years. lueTe
are now three large millinery houses, there
being one more this year to divide the
business with. but 1t is claimed that the
center will offset the additional houses
business. At any rate, all seem contented
to so on as usual another year. The
spring and early fall trade with these es-
adjustments was very satisfactory. but the
warm weather in late September and early
October doubtless affected unfayorably
their business. Still the Indianapolis mil
linery houses have built up q reputation for
handling fine goods and treating patrons
honorabiy. which Is bringing trade TO
them from all over Indiana and a large
number OF other States within a radius of
several hundred miles. Z
The dealers In furniture on a large scale
AVE had a much better year than I'm
1894. Last year the country was full of
goods which had been thrown on to tn.
cut severely into the sales of the regular
dealer. Such goods have been We'll sold
of the market. and now the regular dealer
by no means as large as in former years.
but still the production of fine goods has
been reduced in cost, so that in the az
gregate the merchant has a fair show.
The hat and cap trade of indianapolis
has become much more important. Two
large establishments are reaching through
their travelling statesmen into new fields
with gratifying results. and this line of
business Is evidently In future years to be-
come ONE more prominent and successful:
ever. Is In. the grocery line. Indianapolis
now has thirteen large wholesale grocery
houses, all backed by ample capital. and
to-day Indianapolis Is selling more goods
IN the line of staple and fancy groceries
than Cincinnati, which long held the pres
tige in this line or business. During the
last year Krag. Reynolds & Co. have come
into this field, and George Stout has re-es-
tablishei his old house. after rebuilding the
block burned. and the volume OF business
Is steadily increasing with each year.
Nessrs. Perry, Moore and Schnuil each say
that their business this year has been high
~ satisfactory. and. in fact. in excess of
sion Of other wholesale grocers Is to the
same effect. The thirteen grocers have Goa
Stantly in the field nearly one hundred
travelling statesmen, and are now selling
The liquor dealers report a very fair
years business. There are four large
wholesale houses. most OF them old coa-
Germs. and we'll known in a large territory.
a marked change In the whisky trade In
the last few years. People in making pur-
chases demand a much finer grade of goods.
Cheap. inferior whisky and wines no longer
when more gallons OF whisky and other in
toxic tlng liquors were sold, bat the az
gro ate OF the business Ia dollars and
CO sts Vas not as satisfactory as now. IL
has become very difficult TO sell liquors OF
this Ass which have not age to recon-
mend L. As one OF the wholesale liquor
dealers put Il. Beer has taken the place
largely OF cheap whisky, and those who
drink whisky or wines want a high grade
OF goods. and are able and willing to nav
a good price for a.. As a result cheap
liquors in the whisky line have been about
frozen out am the better grade OF goods
substituted
The cigar trade has now become so much
divided up that there is bur little Ga il 10
any house which may carry a line. Here
Is a case. says one OF the druggists who