Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-02-03
THE LAP-ROBE BUSINESS.
Large Supply and New Designs Are
in Demand for the Winter
Season.

Season.
There are at least 100000 carriage
robes sold every year." said man who
is prominent in one branch of the trade,
reports the New York Sun. 81 don't
know what creates the demand. It's
something like the piano and sewing
machine problem
Some of them at least are made to
last lifetime. and you'd think the coun-
try would have been overstocked gen.
Grafton ago. But it isn't On the con-
trary. the demand grows at q steady
rate.
There are several different branches
of the business, ranging from real skins
to wOrsteds, but by far the largest is the
plush robe trade. 1t furnishes more
than half of the total annual output, and
it grows faster than any of the others
Year in and year out, 500 patterns or
more are put upon the market, more
than 800 of them brand new, and the
public appetite seems to grow.
Perhaps the business of variety and
novelty is overdone here. Take the Eng
fish manufacturers; they keep the same
rug patterns on the market year after
year, and one American manufacturer
offers more styles every year than the
whole English trade does in decade
But no doubt this form of appeal to the
popular taste has been a great factor in
developing demand.
'Of course we have different patterns
for different parts of the country, or
rather we have to meet two distinct and
well-defined sectional standards. For
the south and west picture effects in
strong, vivid colors are the only sellers
I'm the eastern and middle states we
can't sell anything gaudy Soft effects
in quite colors or very good limitations
Of animal skins with dark backgrounds
are our strongest features in the east.
II believe the taste Of the west is tom
ing down. In the cities and the more YER
dant parts of the country, more Roadway
Is being made with subdued patterns;
but in the south and in all the arid or
desert regions the cry Is for color. Prob
ably the reason is different in each case.
'In the south, the tropical tendency
toward shoWiness is the controlling fac
tor. In the desert regions, figure that
it is the fatigue of the eyes from the con-
slant monotony Of yellow plains and
hills. Brilliant colors, crimsons and
green's and blues, come to have a value
that We have no comprehension of here,
where variety is abundant
''The south runs especially on animal
pictures. crouching dog, a lion at rest,
a tiger ready to spring will be sure to
SELL One very popular design was imi-
tated from Rosa Bonheur's picture of
two horses heads entitled Night and
Morning
Animal skin limitations go we'll, too
with this difference: For the eastern
market they must be on a black or dark
brown background, but for the south OF
west We must fill in around them with
big Powered patterns, peonies, with
bright green leaves mixed in among the
crimson blossoms, and the like. Glass
eyes are popular, too, in the south.
Nothing Is oommoner than an order for
an assorted line of animal skins, in
which everything will be left to our
Judgment except the glass eyes. That
point will be expressly put down.
'"The designers are beginning work
now on the designs for robes to be re-
tailed in the winter of 1906. They are
always working about two years ahead
you see, they will have their work
done, and the samples will be made up
in the factories next fall. Then the
statesmen will go out through the win
ter, and orders will be taken at the
selling agencies. All through the spring
and summer Of 1906 the mills will be
busy filling the orders, and the goods
will be shipped in the late fall for win
ter sale.
'The samples that are being taken
on the road at the present time are
from designs made all through the past
year and the goods ordered in the next
month or two will be sold at retail next
winter. You see, We are always dealing
with conditions far ahead.
"The saddlery and harness jobbers
control the distribution Of the goods
outside of the big cities. In New York,
Chicago and one or two other places the
department stores have got hold of the
retail trade; but throughout the country
generally it is simply branch Of what
you might call the house furnishing
business"