The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-06
HOLIDAY GOODS IN.

NO ENceu Oh w dlIlnS UnIll JUST De-
fore Christmas to Make
Selections.
The Wise Already Haunting Shops
and Getting Pick Of the
Good Things. 4
Merchants great and small are agreed
upon several significant points in regard
to the Christmas trade First that the
holidays are in the nature Of continuous
show that began few days before
Thanksgiving and will close about Twelfth
Night, the broadcast swell Of tho crescendo
being the three or four days surrounding
Christmas. Some Of the merchants whose
fingers are on the pulse of trade noticed
an acceleration. which they attributed to
the approach Of the holidays, early in
November, while all detected 1t in their
establishments as early as last week. They
all predict that the full tide of holiday
business will be on early next week.
This beginning of Christmas shopping IS
at least a week ahead of schedule time and
is due to a variety of things, chief among
which are growing wisdom on the part
Of the merchants and Of their customers
and easy money for both. Holiday stocks
are all in and In most shops have been
fully displayed all Of this week. This Is
partly result of tendency to early buy
ing observed in past seasons, and partly
a means of encouraging this movement.
Since the prosperity wave swept In, the
merchants have learned that they will
have all the trade they can handle IN the
week before Christmas under any cir
cumstances and the sooner they can get
the holiday buyers started. the more sat-
isfactory will be the results to all con-
cerned. A big business this week will not
cut into holiday week trade a single dol
lar but will be just that much Of an In
crease. That Is the merchants side of 1t
and accounts in large part for his early
preparations He also knows that he can
give better service to his valued custom
ers If he induce them to come in be-
fore the big brushes so he Is making all
of his most tempting displays and holding
| nothing back.
Wise Shoppers Already Busy.
From this it results that all the ad-
vantages for the customer come in buy
ing now. Stocks are fresh and unbroken
| and shopping may be done with comfort
and federation. Shoppers are getting this
| lesson we'll learned and are applying 1t so
| far as possible To this Is due largely the
! early Christmas trade that Is such no.
| ticeable feature this fall. And this Is only
! another way Of saying that, other people
| having begun to shop early, the man or
| woman who does not fall into line prompt
XIV need not grumble If stocks are later
| found well picked over There are GER
| tain perishable things that must always
! be purcha sed at the last and there Will
always be enough emergency shopping to
l. his Ia that
| seems necessary part Of the Christmas
season but by considering their own best
! interests and doing early the work that can
| better be done at that time. shoppers VIII
| greatly relieve the burdens Of those who
| purvey to the holiday trade. Early shop
| ping is a boon to all concerned and Is
worth making watchword.
Liberal OUTLAWS Made.
Another point of agreement is that there
| is plenty OF money in circulation and with
| it the generous feeling of wanting to do
the handsome thing in making gifts. a
| much better class Of goods is being bought
and more people are buying. rather
curious feature is the large purchases OF
useful gifts. This is not done under the
| pinch of necessity as in the lean years
/ while back, but as a%:result Of the
sound educa tional effects. of adversely,
and some other things. 800 =. -. IL
While the tendency runs to the prac-
teal quite largely it is not separated from
the luxurious. One Of the shrewdest buy
i ers Of the city in his analysis Of what
people want summed it up in two words
ELEGANCE" and simplicity People
have made rapid strides in discriminating
taste in the past five years, and while
they have q greatly increased apprecia.
ton of what IS beautiful, they also value
highly sterling and enduring qualities, an(
insist upon the combination Of the two
preferably in useful objects in the main.
There is strong evidence that the fun
damental principles Of art handicraf
that applies the principles of beauty to al
manufactures has taken deep and pei
manent root The tawdry and flimsy ha
been permanently discarded and masse
Of useless and senseless cheap finery ar
now no longer in the stock Of trade of an,
self-respecting merchant. The note o
genuineness extended to all grades o
goods. No matter how cheap an articl
is nor how plain, the demand is for goo
materials, and good workmanship, with
out shoddy or pretense. People may no
be able to pay for handsome wooens
but they will not have poor imita ton
In half cotton masquerading under tn
name Of woolens. They will buy cotton
that are beautiful, suitable and cheap an
not a sham.
Another exceedingly interesting ten
dency is hidden in the report of the hea
of one Of the largest department store
that he had never known such a deman
for goods to make mp, fine linen an
. cambrics, yarns, silks and velvets an
fancywork materials. The expenditure i
larger than ever, so this does not indlcat
economy as the motive. but an Increase.
l interest and pride in handicraft III
: young women are learning to use thei
hands and to take delight in doing so.
Contfn,,ed Dam and for Inv. :
8 IA down town store, that recent
8 adopted the plan of carrying all the yea
a a large and fine stock of toys has bee
: enjoying a booming trade in them sine
e September with a simply phenomenal de
d mand for dolls. Another store who's
: speciality is toys reports a marked in
crease In the demand for the finest good
and early beginning of the trade,
Furniture has become so artistic in a
of it's lines that it makes suitable and SUI
r stantial gifts, and the movement in tn
= line began early, for usually gifts
e staples in furniture are largely betwee
h members of families and these a,
e planned with much elaboration and de
d cided upon early. The furniture busine.
each year offers an increasing numb,
!. AND BILLIARD pARlORS