The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-22
AFTER The LOTS.
MelrOse Subdivision Is Sold out
in About a Day.
Many People Are Turned Away
Disappointed.
DONE BY ADVERTISING.
Remarkable Returns From State
Journal Space.
Sales Aggregating Far Above
100000 in Two Days.

one OF the most remarkable land
sales in the history of the city took
place from Saturday until Sunday noon,
during which time 475 lots were bought
by almost as many Topeka people in
Melrose addition, which lies between
West Tenth and West Sixth avenues,
one block west of Morris avenue.
The property, about 20 acres, was
bought recently by Grover & Layman.
q firm with headquarters at Indianapo-
lis, Ind, which makes a practice of
buying tracts of land and selling them
on extremely reasonable terms. They
set a price on the lot. say from $50 to
$175, as they were in Topeka, have the
buyer pay one dollar down and so cents
a week thereafter until paid for. No in
terest or taxes are charged to the pur-
chaserS.
The scheme is a very successful one,
especially for people who have not the
ready money to buy outright. Fully
$500 Topeka people went out to see the
lots on Saturday morning, afternoon
and Sunday morning.
About so statesmen were stationed
over the tract and the people who
bought paid q dollar and received q re-
ceipt. Today they called at the office
of the company at $40 Kansas avenue
and received their contracts and alb
stracts.
Colonel B. P Thiebaud, who had
charge of the sale, said that the record
for the Grover & Laynan company
was broken.
Every lot we had was sold from
Saturday morning to Sunday noon, lots
of people were turned away disappoint-
ed he stated this morning. Right out
on the grounds saw one man sell his
bargain for $50, another sell his for $40
and a prominent surgeon in this town
was offered SIS, but he turned the pro-
position down. Ninety per cent of the
| purchasers are hone-seekers and very
| few were there for speculative purposes.
/ 1t was the most remarkable sale which
/ our company. ever had.
This town must have lots of ready
money. I drew that conclusion from
the fact that big bills were presented
to US in almost every instance. Io=
day they are coming right in and
making their first payment and receiv-
| ing their contracts and abstracts.
| think that this city is one OF the most
| beautiful which [ have ever been in in
are simply great. am not saying
| this in a sense Of complimenting you
but because it is a fact which any one
| will be ready to admit
1--WE can make this easy paying
proposition because of the large vol
ume Of business which we do. We
have found it extremely successful in
every way, and many a family Is
thanking US because they have home
steads of their own today. But
want to say just one kind word fo1
the people of this city with whom we
have done business. They were just
the kind that we like to deal with
/ They had their money ready and paid
it. They did it up in business like
way. I never had a more satisfactory
/ experience in my life"
Melrose addition is in reality very
fine location. The. place will make {
| good residence district, and from The
| actions of the people who bought land
it is to be inferred that practically al
| of them went there to get homestead:
on which they intend to build houses
Quick Advertising Returns.
Grover & Layman today sent the fol
lowing letter to the State Journal:
State Journal, Topeka, Kansas.
Gentlemen: On last Friday and Sat
urday we advertised for the first tint
the sale of lots in Nelrose subdivision
The State Journal was the only news
paper used on those days.
Before Sunday noon every one of ths
475 lots in the addition was sold
Your circulation in this community i:
remarkable. With all Of our success il
making these sales in different parts Of
the country, we are simply astounded al
the results We have received from oul
space in the State Journal.
A few days ago we took a raw piece
of ground, laid it out into streets an6
lots, announced the sale Friday evening
in your paper and again the following
evening, and within forty-four hours
had sold out the entire addition of near
ly 500 lots. making exactly just fifteer
hours field work. Very truly yours,
GROVER & LAYMAN.
Topeka, Kansas, May %, 1905.
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