The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-03-02
A WHEEL FACTOR
A Man Who Is In the
Bicycle Business.
In Five Years Has Sold 10000
Machines - Points On How to
Make a Success In the Line.

In Thos. II. B. Varney, the visiting
San Francisco bicycle factor, one meets
fine type Of the successful young
business man of the new West. When
the safety came out Mr.. Varney, who
had been in wheels even before that,
figured pretty carefully and came to
the conclusion that from business con-
sideraticns, pure and simple, the hand
ling Of bicycles would be something
worth the while He secured the
agency of a single wheel, gained the
confidence of the makers and had a
commercial standing already. He has
made money. In nine years Mr.. Var
ney has sold about 10000 bicycles and
sundries to correspond. He is not at
all restless man, but is energetic and
aggressive. When he is in San Fran
cisco he spends most of his time at his
big establishment. He has about the
largest house in the United States that
is devoted exclusively to the sale of
wheels. Mr.. Varney does not consider
himself above hunting people up, but
this quality in him has made his place
headquarters, with himself the life of
it. He makes it a point to be interest
ed in every cycling event and wheel
show all along the Coast. Then Mr..
Varney travels great deal. In chat
yesterday he said he thought really
that it would be necessary for him to
make a visit to the Islands every year.
In every town on the slope where
wheels are ridden he has an agent and
two or three times year drops in to
see how his representative is getting
along and to straighten out any mis-
understanding by word of mouth in
stead of by letter. One in facetious
mood might suggest that a man who
had sold 10000 bicycles in nine years
and was still at it would have wheels
in his head Mr. Varney talks about
almost anything and has deep inter-
est in charming family. Of course,
the trade is his favorite topic, and it
must be a very small and insignificant
feature of it that can escape him. After
looking about Honolulu couple of
days he estimated that 1000 bicycles
had been sold here during the past
year. This is very close to the figure.
Mr.. Varney is very enthusiastic over
Honolulu, as a place for the use of the
wheel, both for pleasure and business.
He says the streets and roads are in
extent and quality far away better than
anything he had ever imagined,
though many tourists had brought him
glowing accounts of the delights of be-
ing awheel in Hawaii Mr.. Varney says
hot hn ic,H Arm Of hn fhof O
machine will become more and more
popular each year here.
The factory which turns out the
wheel that Mr. Varney sells, did not
make a chainless, and he declares that
so far, they have had no reason to re-
greet clinging to the old tried style. I'm
der this head, he continues that wheels
must be cheap, and that in their me-
chanical features they must be simple.
But both Mr. Varney and his people
are watching the various chainless mo-
dels rather closely, and are ready to
meet any demand in that field.
The man from the Coast thinks a
good deal of the racing material that
has been developed, and that has be-
come localized here. He says that
track racing has rather gone out on
the Coast, that more interest is taken
in the big road relays, in which from
500 to 1000 men are directly concerned.
In the matter of wheelmen's organiza-
tons, his observation is that it is ex-
tremely difficult to make club a sue
cess. He cited the rise and fall of a
number of them on the Coast, and men-
toned not more than a couple that had
held intact through all seasons. Sew
eral were wrecked by building racing
tracks.
From the conversation of Mr.. Var
ney, it is not difficult to see that he will
hereafter give this market more atten-
ton than ever before. He considers 1t
valuable territory 1t was Mr.. Varney
who sold Ruby Dexter and Dave Gro
zier their two first installments OF
wheels for the Auckland business,
which the Honolulu boys have built
I'D.