Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-04-12
Old Town Waking Up.

! Hotel. Nearly every town, you
know, has Grand Central hotel,
and ihis was just an average town.
s, chilly was the wind that even
the newspaper editor stuck BY the
stoye Instead of going to the depot.
as usual, to sac the evening train
from the city come in.
You'll miss some personal items
for your paper. Tom" remarked
the doctor
Not likely replied the editor.
"This old town has grown SO dull
of late that scarcely anybody from
tie city stops off here, and since
the mil order houses have been
doing so much advertising in these
parts it's not necessary to run up
to the city. They can just stick a
a postage stamp on an envelope
and order what they want or what
they think they want, though they
don't always want the goods after
they SIZE them"
slave to take 'em though" com
mented the hotel clerk.
"Of course, since they're already
paid for. It's like the way we used
to trade pocketknives, "uns'ght,un'
seen," ,ou know when we were
boys. But | prefer to see what |
buy lefore hand"
what that's YOU say about these
mail order houses advertising!
asked the dry goods merchant. VI
haven't seen any of their ads. in
your paper
mo, but il sou kept your eyes
peeled, as imam in your line OF
business ought to, you'd find out
that these big city houses are sImp'
" flooding the country with price
catalogus an in thick and as long
as the unabridged dictionary; also
they're advertising IN all sorts of
cheap skate weekly and monthly
periodicals called mail order pa
pers,' which circulate for about a
dime or quarter a year. They print
their prices-don't forget that
and it's easy to order"
The drv goods man looked lit
tie uneasy.
Yes" continued the editor, "the
mail order people print their prices
right there, with The description OF
the goods. Did you ever take
enough space in my paper to print
the price Of yard OF dress goods
or a suit of clothes OF anything OF
that sort?"
swell | keep a standing ad in
YOUR paper all the year around"
"Yes, that's true, but what does
your ad say? just this: Jones 4
Thompson, dealers in dry goods
clothing, hats, caps, boots, Shoes
etc. Now, what do you expect?
Doesn't every body know you're a
dealer in these things. They can
read hat much on your store sign
Nearly every family in this town
and neigbborhood takes my paper
If you would print some OF your
special bargains now and
then for instance rather thluk
you would get quite a few of these
orders. which now 90 out through
the mail"
| The dry goods man sat thought
fully for few minutes. FINAL,
he tnrned to the editor. 4
How much space does our ad
take up in your paper now"
| 1.-TWO inches, single column"
| "Well, begin this week and max
| it half a column double. Wei
| print prices to beat the band. View
| got goods down in our store tina
| are right up to date, and our price
| are not 50 much different from tn
| mail order prices as to make
| worth a mans while to walk pas
| our store and ratronlze the postof
| fee. On some things we are low
| er than the mail order houses, AL.
| the goods are right here for in
spection. l''e been thinking TIL
| matter over lately myself. an
| hereafter Jones s. Thompson ar
going to do some advertising @
tho r;gbt sort. | had talk wit
Bob Rhodes about this and he gay
| me some ideas"