Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-09-08
Icopyrighted BY Frank @. Carpenter)

fCopyrighted by Frank q. Caipenter)
- RAND RAPIDS. Mich.--Grcnd
I Rapids is the furniture center
Of the world. 1t picks It's lum-
Der from every forest and sends
Il out all over the United States and
10 Europe. South America, Africa aud
Australia. In the shape Of beds, tables,
chairs and Office furniture. There are,
Ut this writing, lumber camps IN Mex.
SEQ and Central America choppng out
mahogany for these factories; agents
are stationed al Liverpool TO buy up
the best timber brought IN from South
America and Africa for Grand Rapids,
and there is scarcely a hardwood sec
fion noted for its fine lumber which Is
not tributary 20 this point During my
stay al Panama last year ! found that
Grand Rapids men had taken out con-
Cessions for the best mahogany on the
nsthmus. saw other Grand RAPIDS
buyers IN cuba swapping up the best
Himhers as they were brought out %
rhe railroads and the sea. and during 4
recent foreign tour I discovered an
agency for Grand Rapids Office furni-
ture in every European capital.
A GREAT FURNITURE FAIR.
Indeed. this is one Of the queer ,om-
mercial conlers OF he globe and Is diff
ferent from any other IN that 10 seems
"a have monopolized its specially. IL "
more like one uf the great fair cities ~
medieval times. az which The merchants
And buyers from ali over Europe went
10 make their annual purchases. The
pnosi Of such centcrs have long since
kisappeare1. although in one or two
cf them fairs are still held leipsig
has a fur market 10 which fur buyers
hrom all parts OF the world annually
Icome. and also a book fair which is
largely attended. IN the middle ages
nearly all the trading ~ England was
kone al fairs. and RE same was true of
France. Germany and Italy The larg-
lest commercial fair ~ the world today
Is al Mint NoyRoroi, .n Russia. II
hasts for about month or six weeks
land brings together buyers from WCst-
Tern Asia and Europe
The daily attendance at that fair
Numbers 20oo0o and So U.s. estimated
Hhat 5000. OOo 900 change hands on zach of
hls annual sessions Everything ~ az
Wholesale and the single purchases are
barge.
The furniture fairs 40 Grand Rapids
lare held twice q year and The sales
Sthen run ~ into iha millions EXPOSE
tion buildings have been constructed
flor them. and one of these is so large
THAT It's floors cover l5 acres pmcu-
lcally all the goods sold are from orders
lriven Al the fairs and the factories
Ispend large sums in preparinl their
gexhiblts 4 single firm may spend $50
k0c0 upon iis samples lni on goods will
Ebe sold from the simple thus shown
BUYERS FROM EVERYWHERE.
The furniture sold here Is not con-
fined 10 Grand Rapids The factories in
tother parts Of the country rent space
LAND send In samples so that Che buNer
has the furniture Of The United states
fto choose nom.
The buyers come from everywhere.
and they number hundreds Nsuy are
\ REPRESENTATIVE of wholesale houses
many purchase for department stores
and some represent big retail dealers.
Not Q few bring their families with
then. baking this the vacation tour OF
| the year, and AZ such times the Gland
iRapids hotels are iull even % the cots