Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-19
PHILLIPS NEW SIORE
Ottumwa's New Department. store
Thrown Open Today.
NEARLY TWO ACRES OF FLOOR SPACE
Will scqusrs rs to 100 saiespeople--
Something OF the Store, Its Depart.
ment. and How sriey Will
He Arranged.
IFrom Saturdays Daily.1

IFrom Saturdays Daily.l
At 10 o'clock this morning, when the
doors of j. A. Phillips new department.
store Oh Main street were thrown open
TO the public, the city of Ottumwa took
another rapid stride toward metro
poiitan town, and is now in line with
her sister cities of Des Moines and
Sioux City. with. one of the largest
and most deliberately fitted up depart
ment stores west of Chicago. The work
which has kept small army OF ma
sons, bricklayers and carpenters bus
lily at work for the past three months
has just begun to assume tangible
ssaps.an give Ottumwa people an idea
of what this new store will be. Even
now, while case after case OF new goods
is olened. they are being introduced
into their new home TO the tune of
hammer andSsaw. and.it viii be several
2fweeks.yet before the building will be
entirely completed.
Ottumwa people have as. yet but a
small conception of what this big
store will be when thoroughly com
pleted and stocked. Covering. as it
does, with its four stories and base
'ment, nearly two acres of floor space,
and which will employ an army of
from seventy-tive to one hundred clerks
and salespeople, Ottumwa will have as
complete u department store as any
city in Iowa. For the present, howev-
er, and until after the holidays, no at
tempt will be made to make display
of other than holiday goods, and a
large number of people have been busy
for the past three days unpacking this
stock. Like many other buildings this
year, this new store has been put far
behind by the failure to get material,
and Mr.. Phillips is forced to place his
stock of holiday goods alone in the
new building, as it was bought early
and contains such an assortment that
could not be carried over
Something of what this new store
will contain when completed will be of
interest to the many Ottumwa people
who have been waiting for the opening
of what promises to be new era in OF
tumwa business circles. On the first
floor, as one enters the main door, will
be the dry goods department, and in
the rear, on this main floor, will be the
boots and shoes and clothing depart
ments. In the basement, which is
large, light and airy, will be the gro
Gerry, tinware, housefurnishing and
china departments. On the second floor
will be the millinery, shirt waist, cloak
and suit, carpet and drapery depart
ments, and the third floor will be en-
tirely taken up with the furniture de-
partnent. On the fourth floor will be
the wholesale dry goods and notion de-
partments, the mail order department
and stock room. 1t is the intention of
Mr.. Phillips to do q wholesale dry
goods and notion business in connec-
ton with his new store. two eleva-
tors are being put in the building, one
in the rear for freight, and an elabo-
rate one in front as a passenger carrier.
There will be reading, writing and
waiting room elegantly fitted up on the
first floor, with toilet and wash rooms
In connection, while another room will
be reserved as dining room, where
the farming people and visitors from
Deighboring towns, who bring their
lunch, can enjoy eating it. The entire
store will be lighted with both electric
ity and gas, and a cash carrier sys-
tenn will be put in after the holidays
The entire shelvings, fittings, show
cases, ETC., have been made to order es-
pecially for Mr.. Phillips and after de-
signs from the most up-to-date depart
ment stores in the large cities. Eff
Gent men have been engaged as the
heads of departments. and as stated
before, it will require from seventy-fve
to one hundred people to conduct the
Business of this new store.
Ottumwa people certainly have ev-
cry reason to be proud of the new and
stupendous addition to its business cir
cles, and should admire the nerve. of
Mr.. Phillips in making such daring
move. No small amount of money has
been expended in this new enterprise,
but it has been done by Mr. Phillips
cheerfully as he has undyirg faith in
the future of Ottumwa. Some idea
may be gained CT the amount of mon
ey invested in this new enterprise
when it is said that $4,000 have been
spent on the building and improve
1nents, before dollars worth of stock
has been placed in it. While there is
in every town the size of Ottumwa
feeling against department stores, it
is only the struggle that every town
engages in when it energies from the
country town into the city. Before the
industrial commission at Washington
a few days ago, John Wannamaler. OF
Philadelphia, testified, on the subject
of department stores, that they are
beneficial to society and are the out
growth of fixed trade laws. Cheaper
capital, better transportation, more
rapid communications" he said, "nakel
the modern retail store possible, nat
ural, useful and therefore inevitable.
Their one effect has been to decidedly
lower retail prices"
fitting conclusion to this article
will be something of the business his
tory of Mr.. Phillips, who has expended
so much money in bringing to Ottumwa
this institution. Beginning business
seventeen years ago with the Famous
shoe store, he has prospered from the
first. After his retail business was on
safe footing Mr.. Phillips put in a whole
sale department, which he conducted
successfully until six wears ago, when