Los Angeles herald., 1905-09-03
Big Department
Stores Lime the
Streets


trade is an indispensable factor to the
comfort and welfare of the people of
every community, be it large or small
without the energetic and experienced
merchant the people who are ever In
the market for the necessities and lux
uries of life would be subject to count
less Inconvenience and endless discom-
forts.
To a large extent the enterprise, the
growth and the future Of city is
known or sized up by the number and
character of the retail stores, the size
and attractiveness of the department
stores, the elegance of the dry goods
and clothing stores, the completeness
of the grocery, confection, shoe stores,
drug stores, music houses, hardware,
millinery and other places where sup
plies for the home are on sale. If the
establishments are up to date and in
viting and the proprietors and sales
men courteous and obliging, and the
line of goods up to the average in style
and quality, the city or town is rated
with the best to be found in the coun-
try and the visitor, especially the wo-
men who do most of the buying, is IA
vorably impressed, and the modern
city with it's allurements in the way
of pretty stores and fine stocks of
goods at attractive prices is bound to
grow in population because in a large
measure the stores are the lodestones
that draw the people from the back
country and the slow towns.
Many Fine Stores
Los Angeles with her population of
over 100000 is progressive in every line
Of trade and can justly boast of a great
number and variety of beautiful stores,
all containing valuable stocks of goods
displayed in an artistic manner. No
city of the east has more complete de-
partment stores than can be found on
Broadway or Spring street, and the
clothing, dry goods, furniture. jewelry,
music, shoe, grocery, drug, hardware
and other stores are among the best to
be found anywhere in the country
No just complaint can be lodged
against any Of the retail merchants
along the line of courteous treatment,
nor in enterprise of approved service
Rich and poor are treated alike, uni
form prices are maintained by the ex-
perienced and respectable dealers, and
all merchants who have conducted
their enterprises on business principles
have become wealthy or are in COM
Portable circumstances.
A large percentage of the merchants
of Los Angeles possess their own
homes and some of them have
branched out in other lines Of in
dustry, using the profits of their first
business to add to their fortunes and
aid in the development of Greater Los
Angeles. There are numerous old es-
tablished firms in Los Angeles and
many Of the heads of the establish
ments are men who came here at an
early day, but there are scores of new
merchants in the community. Those of
experience in the several lines of trade
have prospered, while others who have
experimental or gone into this or that
something they thought would be easy
work have had unpleasant experiences
and have sold out or closed up their
places.
Total Grocery Firms
In the commercial life of Los Ange-
les the retail grocery stores are prob
ably the closest to the homes of the
people, for supplies for the table must
be provided three times a day. The
grocers are the busy bees of every
town and as residents of Los Angeles
and the thousands of visitors who are
constantly within our gates are good
llvers, the grocer is the man who
has to get up early and go to bed
late. A recent count of the grocery
stores in the city gave a total of 602,
being one store for every 333 persons in
the community, estimating the popula-
ton of the city at 2O3,436. In 1901.
when the count was made, there were
27S stores in the entire city. The in
crease in the number of stores has
been due largely to the expansion of
the city and the steady increase in
population.
Protective Association
The Southern California Retail Gro
GERS association, chartered as an aux
iliary Of the California Grocers and
Merchants association, has an office in
the Tajo building, in charge Of Secre-
tary Paulding. The objects Of the as
sociation are to increase acquaintance
ship and foster the highest commercial
integrity among those engaged in the
retail grocery business; to take con-
certed action in matters pertaining to
the general good, where idividual ef-
forts would be powerless, such as
shorter hours of business, observance
of holidays, immunity from inferior
end adulterated goods, short weights
and measures; to prevent unjust dis
elimination by any class or corpora
ton; to maintain credit rating and
collecting bureau and keep a list of
delinquent debtors; to secure needed
legislation and prevent the passage of
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