The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-04-04
"A STORY
OF SUCCESS.
What a Roanoke Business House
Has Done.
THE FIRM OF WATT, RErrEw s.
CLAY is ONE OF THE PRO
GREssIvE HOUSES OF THE
NEW SOUTH = PHENOMENAL
SUCCESS AND WHAT BROUGHT
IT ABoUT-wILL HAVE EN-
LARGED QUARTERS.

1t was quiet evening in early autumn
OF 1856. Three gentlemen in the vigor
OF young manhood had held quiet, but
earnest, counsel till late hour. The OBJ
Ject for which th,y met had been accom-.
plished and now they depart in the dead
silence of the midnight hour, each to his
home.
The three men were David L. Watt,
William M. Rettew and Alfred Clay.
They had deter mined to launch their
bsrque upon the sea of commerce, deep
and wide and boisterous-a daring at
tempt. Some had tried and gone down;
others had stem'd the tide and reached
the haven OF success.
So with stout hearts and brave, with
the three great elements of success
push, pluck and perseverence-they
spread sail southwark. After visiting a
number CT Southern cities they located
in Norfolk and opened TO business there
October I'd, 1856, in store room 25xS0
| feet.
After three months they found their
quarters entirely too small to meet the
demands of their lourishing business,
and enlarged by adding 10 feet, thus hav-
| ing 25x120 feet.
They continued in this room three
years, and their business had taken on
such proportions that larger quarter
were imperative. They then took an adj
| joining room of equal size add removed
a middle wall that divided the building
into two rooms, found themselves in
commodious room of 50x120 feet This,
however, SOON proved inadequate, for sue
cess had stamped itself upon the popular
firms every effort, and year later they
added an annex 25x75 feet, affording a
first floor space off 1875 square feet
| In 1879 moro p0u,nOI iOt,c wall IN,
more modern quarters were made imper-
alive by the metropolitan proportions Of
their business. II was then they pur-
chased the big building, corner Main and
CRANKY streets. This building has four
floors of equal dimensions measuring
5Oxl35 feet, giving them floor space
(not including basement room), ali of
which is occupied by them, of 3,75O
square feet.
The big Norfolk store has every i'm.
provement known to modern storekeep.
ing, electric lights, steam heat, electric
FANS passenger and freight elevators,
and is second to none in the State hav.
ing but few rivals in the South.
The popularity of this great store is
such that storekeepers throughout the
tidewater section of Virginia and North
Carolina may well envy, for in CHS great
section the firm name of Watt, Rettew
& Clay has become a Household word'
1t was in the autumn of 1884 that
these gentlemen came to Roanoke. Hav-
ing conquered one city they wanted to
take others After considering, with
some deliberation, Roanoke as business
centre, they leased the store at 118 Salem
avenue. They opened business here No
vember 3D., 1894, under the management
of Mr.. George Macl3ain. In a word,
their Norfolk history has repeated itself,
for their growth has been phenomenal
We take pleasure in saying that the
firms success here is due largely to the
| genial manager, whose popularity, good
give impetus to any business with
which he might be connected.
| After two years of meIited success here
they find their present quarters entirely
inadequate to the demands of their bus
mess. This fact coupled with their
abiding faith in Roanoke's great future.
accounts for their purchase OF the entire
building known rs 11S and 100 Salem
avenue.
The m iddle walls are to he removed at
once and the interior fitted up to make it
in every way an up-to-date store They
will occupy the entire building, having
retail departments on first and second
floors. Wholesale department will be on
| third floor.
Among the improvements will be an
electric cable cash carrier system. The
old systems are not quick enough to meet
the demands of the firm.
The fact that the adjoining room is occu-
pied 10y Donaldsons furniture store will
delay the beginning of the work of i'm.
provement few days, during which time
they Will reduce their Zig stock AS much
as possible
The new store will have floor space of
l5,OO0 square feet, which, added to the
big Norfolk store, makes the grand total
4S.T50 square feet.
The two stores employ one hundred sales
people.
| A year ago they found il necessary to
oren an Office in New York They have n
man OF years of experience in New York
trade in charge of their office there I'M
porters, commission merchants and for
elgn manufacturers are seen at the New
York Office. They also have wareroom
in New York, where they store large pur-
chases. to have them shipped as wanted
They have corps of clerks. storekeepers
and shipping clerks in their New York
| office and warerooms.
| David +. Watt was born in Scotland
where he received the "goodly heritage
Scotch integrity and firmness, that in.
sure success.
| William NJ. Rettew was born in the
keystone State, and was impressed iii
early youth that as the keystone is to the
arch, so honesty and industry to success
in every undertaking.
Alfred Clay was born in England, but
was bred from early youth in Connecti-
cut, so is not quite SO English, YOU
know" but has the inheren6 business
qualifications and the Yankee grit and
| go.n and so dares to succeed.
| George MacBaln was born in Scotland
and came to the United States eleven