The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-29
READS LIKE A ROMANCE
A REMARKABLE CAREER

Eight years ago, Edward Zanditon
came to Topeka without a dollar, and
without a single acquaintance.
He had considered the western cities,
and became satisfied that there was no
town in the west so we'll suited as
Topeka to his purpose of establishing
the kind of business he proposed. But
he had no money; no friends; only his
enthusiasm for an idea, and nerve. He
purchased a delivery wagon from War
ner & Potter, on time, obtained a
horse and set Of harness in the same
manner, made an agreement with a
goods on commission, loaded up his
wagon and started out. His idea then
was to sell clothing on the installment
plan. The money was slow in coming
in and it took long time to make
enough money to sustain himself and
family, and pay for the horse and wa
gon, but his trade grew, and he soon
had more than he could handle with his
delivery wagon, and rented a small
room upstairs at 504 Kansas avenue,
where he began the manufacturing of
ladies' ready-to-wear garments on a
small scale, for the retail trade. He
had but little capital with which to
start that business, but purchased a
few hundred dollars worth of goods on
credit, rented half a dozen sewing ma
chimes; employed as many seamStress-
es, without any capital whatever, but
simply relying on his judgment as to
the success of credit sales of garments.
These ready-to-wear garments We're
sold on the installment plan, to per-
sons who were unable to pay cash. Mr..
ZanditOn developed this particular feat
ure of his business very rapidly on the
theory that since such stores were con-
Quoted successfully in the larger cities
like Kansas City and Chicago. he could
succeed here. The result of the extra
ordinary development of this line of
his business, however. was the cause of
his subsequent embarrassment. Soon
finding his quarters at 504 Kansas ave-
nue. too small for his growing bust
ness, he rented the store room at 315
Kansas avenue, continued expanding
along the same line, and, after remain
Ing at that location about six months.
his business increasing to such an eX-
tent that he was unable to handle it in
such small quarters, he removed in the
summer of 1903 to 521 Kansas avenue.
He continued to increase his sales on
the installment plan, and had every
1903 came along and $4,000 due Fan
diton from his customers on the in
stal1ments was swept away.
Mr.. Zandition called his creditors to-
gether and was about to suspend when
trusting to his ability to pull out, grant
ed him extensions until the following
spring. His loss, however, had been too
great and his business never recovered
from the effects of the flood. In April,
1904. he voluntarily turned over to his
creditors all of his stock, fixtures and
bills receivable, stepped out of his store
without dollar, and with $50 000 90 in
debts staring him in the face. After
two years in business, Mr.. Zandition
found himself again on the streets of
Topeka in a peddler's wagon, as before
with a $50,000.00 handicap as a result of
his belief that he could establish an
installmeut credit business in garments
in Topeka
Again he started out with the ped
dler's wagon, which he purchased, as
before, on credit, with load of goods |
to sell on commission. This was in |
April, 1904. This time. however, he sold |
for cash, and from that time on he has |
prof1ted by his first experience, and has |
sold for cash only, on a small margin |
Of profits in the belief that if he could |
in time acquire a sufficient volume of |
business, that he would still make a |
success. His business again continued |
to grow as before, and within six |
months he had store room at S15 Kan |
sas avenue, where he was in business i
for a year when he was compelled to |
have more room and removed to no |