The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-23
THE EXHIBITORS ROOM.
NEW ADJUNCT OF SUMNER RESORT
HOTELS IN FULL SWING.
1t IL where Retail Dealers Show Goods-
1t Saves shopping, Is n source of Profit
to the Hotel Man, and Has Taken the

Place of the Professional Entertainer.
A charm OF the up-to date summer resort is
the hotel exhibition room. where every day
| throughout the season touring merchant
! women and merchant men set up their
temporary stalls with full permission
| OF the proprietor to put their best foot
foremost in making things entertaining.
| Time was when people brought homo
nature made and rustic made souvenirs
| from their summer outing-ilsh scale orna-
mcnts. baskets and mats Of home-woyen
grass canes etched and knotted by ma
tive ingenuity. sea Shells mountain stats.
| brackets land plaques and the like. but
| now the woman who has spent six weeks
| or more on the top OF Peak Way on. on
| the isolated range. or down In Silver
| Leaf Glen. or surf beaten beach. unpacks
an elaborate satin wrought. silver-rimmed
| opera bag as trophy OF her trip. or fascinator
| fine as gossamer and edged with 1lmy lace.
| perhaps some rare silk pattern. or new health
| food for her grandchildren to test. or else
unique and charming lamp screen for the
drawing room.
| The exhibition room and the things to be
| seen and pulled over, discussed and bargnned
| for therein supply the dear equivalent for real
| town shopping that is precious to the city
| woman when she is away from streets and
| counters. and although this exhibition feature
| Is not catalogued among the other attractions
| set down In the hotel announcements the eX-
| hibitors and their wares are q better drawing
| card than any and more sure Of centring uni
versal interest than all the "unbroken views"
Specific waters" delightful drives" rare
| sunsets" and fine orchestras that could be
! gazetted
Il bought more than half my Christmas
| presents up at Mount Hoary Head" young
woman announced the other day to a stay-at-
| home friend as she handed out certain articles
| for inspection.
why thought Mount Hoary too high up
| to have shops. or anything like that" was the
surprised reJonder.
"Ohl No shops. but there were people at the
exhibition room every day with lovely things
to sell Some Of them would 60 Off and come
back with fresh supply: they had had such
| good luck. One woman l know bought so
| many things that she hadn't expected to get
| that new trunk. and big one at that. had to
| be ordered to tako them away in. It's nice to
| shop that way. No waiting for the change or
being bothered with istless shop girls; the
folks are as polite as dancing masters. and
YOU'RE sure to get ideas about how to wear
things or as to variety OF material and new
| wrinkles about the making"
Dear me. l would have said an exhibition
| room was a room to have tableauK in or for
| strollng players and that sort to act n" said
the az ,tt girl ana the other Laughed
|
sort but playing for II vital purpose and very
good fun. indeed.
whalebone substitute when we .first got there"
| the young woman said. and incidentally she
made some bodices to demonstrate its fitting
and wearing qualities and took orders for
others. The room was full every morning while
she told Of her experience with the other kinds
| of imitation whalebone and lectured on the
principles OF dress fitting. / don't suppose
there we're dozen women in the room who
| clothes. but the subject was interesting and
the woman held forth three days. Then man
INN woman with xoves and nd handPercSes
10 show and take orders for. She tai ked very
World great Affairs by these dress a i.
showed the merits OF hers and got twenty or
| twenty-five names on her list.
| One day waterproof goods exhibitor had
the h2 20 ii ana as It Wa Just atter showery
SHOWING e lazy csrrnSss baby antomobie Sa he
| called them. Sometimes an aluminium enthu-
sinst would have the floor and you could hear
| more things about tho uses and abuses OF alu-
minum in half hour than you would other.
wise have known Of in year: An 9ccuis st and
the chain and novelties to 60 with them. and
niter them came woman with silk rem.
lace and thr@gd edGinEs' The iancy.work
people, STAYED for an entire week, and there
Sssd a Tm2' and tp0e and knhs
pupils mustered up to take lessons. and get
"rG' we're and T2s Gs p ns
| OF samples to exhibit, and then there were
fOkS with special articles ~ different sorts and
agents for ch"ar-edition books and subscrip
tion takers for magazines and women with
stationery. others with artists and photo
ing and going about in person with the reo-
pie who purchased cameras once the room
AMI displayed and 10y night everything was
whsksd of Is t EarG ha as your hand aud the
,"Th" exhibition room has somewhat dis
placed the paid musician and the elocutionist
| summer resorts. he sort of entertainment
when the things talked about are offered for
Whc mas aos se' and fH o g1s %
thing to hll UP the time Even those who don't
nHy sn?y Gn1 The es
eS'imati9n. ,Besidssi the things cnered are
Ferrous I %casTs OF s""l taste are admted nnd
there is no importantly or obligation to buy.
country at these big hotels aud are lust as well
pleased to get or TO order such things ms they
and many Of them might not be likely TO see
just tins class OF goodsaRain in hurry,
hoe Eecn"s since e they defYS ef from Sr IT,
and have their guests amused as well without
n1 S me Get T"S the nHo
ing and sneculatng bee in their bonnets they
are not art ia, find things dull or to note that
the place Is slow AMI there is not enough going
on. and the exhibitors themselves make good
thing OF tt-proht enough to warrant the IA
'' 1t Is no easy job young, woman told mo.
to pack and unpark these things every day.
keep all accounts straight. and have the room
tidy for the next conner. as we do No actress
doing her turn at 3ne-,piGht, stands over tho
| country works harder than ! and my sister
have done for the past month, but wa are
brought in contact with people whom we
would never 500 Otherwise; and our mail
orders alone have doubled and trehled since
We adopted the summer campaign method OF
selling goods. The pcOple won come To US in
town dHring the hot weather. SO we go to
them, We have n regular itinerary made out,
and keep the shop people advised as to where
10 pI n N II Ir han Ii, "a,
new customers. We don't go to Saratoga or
Newport, or any resort where the wealthy
private residents would be apt to order
goods from tn" city direct, or he 30 inter-
ested in private affairs and eNrtemrnts that
they wOulI not have time to notice but the big
seaShore and mountain house hotels whore
| from 40 to 200 people are in shelter together
for weeks with only household incidents to
occupy them, area good field. The coitngcrs
and nearby residents come to see our thngs
also There the people have time to examine
t he articles and to take a personal interest in
them, and orders pour in rs result Of merely
knowing two o., three nersons from any ono
| town or city. That's pretty Whrrc'd YOU
getit 2" From Miss SO-aud $50 % A." Well get nj T.