The Washington herald., 1907-05-14

ms IN tallOrs shop in an Iowa town
was kept busy only part of the time
pressing suits OF clothes for 20 cents
each. He had an idea. He calculated how
many suits Of clothes he could press If ne
were kept busy all the time He calcu-
lated what it would cost, his own wages
being s. a week. Then he startled the
townsmen by going around offering to
press clothes for 81 a month, called for
and delivered" Some people thought him
foolish, but when his pressing club had
grown until it had 500 members they real
lied that a good many apprentices at s. a
week may be hired for $500 a month and
leave handsome profit besides. From
that beginning the pressing club scheme
spread all over the country in a remark
ably short time.
y small retailer in 4 Southern city
was dragging along in business. barely
able TO make both ends meet one day
he found that the store building next
door could be rented for a very small
sum- He had an idea He called on a
friend, who was interested in the moving
picture machine business. They calcu-
lated how many chairs could be put in
the empty store, and how much they
could take in at a nickel head if they
played to capacity and gave a show every
twenty minutes 1t looked good. The
stoTeroom was rented a moving picture
machine and big phonograph installed
and the first ''NiCkelodeon' was ready for
business.
Afterward, when this man went to a
bank to borrow money TO extend his
business to several other cities. he showed
70 the satisfaction Of the bankers that
he had netted S12CC0 the first six months.
These scent theaters are now TO be found
IN every town in the country, and their
number is Increasing every day. There
are over $50 Of them In Chicago.
Even in these piping times Of peace
and prosperity. with opportunities scat
tered around thick as hops, adversely will
sometimes bring a man down TO hard
pan. A short time ago an unlucky fell
low struck Atlanta He was dead
broke and didn't know where to get a
job. There was labor on the streets at
about a dollar a day, but he had been
used to better money. He had an idea.
He arranged a raffie. and offered 10 work
whole week for the man who drew
the lucky number. He sold fifty chances
AZ a dollar each, and soon had $50 in his
pocket. A grocer won the rafIle and put
his man to driving d delivery wagon.
The man soon got on his feet and is
now successful, but is still a bit proud
Of the fact that he is the only man who
ever drove a grOcers delivery wagon for
$50 a week.
merchant in a Western city was de-
sirous Of reducing his stock without de-
lay, and was willing 10 make q liberal
sacrifice Of profits to do so. He announced
% to p per cent reduction sale. II was
bona fide, and the prices had been .rUt.
but the public had seen such announce
ments before. and was slow 10 come In
The merchant was discouraged. Then he
had an idea. The newspapers next dav
carried big ads announcing that al this
store every fourth yard of every fourth
article Of the same price would be sold
for cents no matter whether il was
worth 10 cents or so A woman came in
20 buy an article which cost s. She
bought two others which cost the same
amount and then a fourth. for which she
paid only cents. The fourth, eighth. and
twelfth yards Of every kind of cloth went
for cents. The store was packed and
jammed, and the stock cleared up in A
hurry. Yet it was practically the same
. per cent reduction sale which had been
advertised 50 unsuccessfully. The propo-
siuon was merely put in a more convinc-
ing way.
Chicago savings bank and a Chicago
store went into an agreement to promote
healthful business publicity, and also to
inculcate habits Of saving into their Gus
toners. The store advertised that with
every purchase Of $ worth Of goods. or
more, the proprietor would start a saw
ings bank account in the name Of the
customer with an initial deposit Of 81.
The customer came in, bought s. worth
Of goods. and received an order on a
certain bank. He then went to the bank
and received a regular bank book with a
credit Of 81. Two months after the
scheme was inaugurated. there had been
1000 such accounts opened, the great ma.
jority Of which were constantly being in
creased.
Systematic town boosting is a feature
Of American business activity which aims
at the general good instead Of personal
profit One Western town had a board
of trade which had slept along for years
without doing anything in particular ex-
cept eating some food once a year at a
banquet and listening TO some spread
eagle oratory. The organization became
moribund, and its presidency was an
honor no longer sought for. The directors
met and gave the place TO a young man
Of the type we like TO encourage" The
young man took his job seriously and
went to work. It wasn't long before he
grew an idea Of his own.
Every new family that moved TO town
he spotted. Employment was provided
for the bread-winners where necessary.
and the new people were made to feel
at home. When this personal attention
had got in Its work. a representative of
the board of trade interviewed the head
CT the new family. This interview was
incorporated into a letter, mimeograph
copies were made, put into stamped en-
veiopes, and made ready to mail Then
the letters were taken TO the newcomer
and he was asked to address them 10 his
feiends back East" The scheme work
ed ike magic and population doomed. OF
that idea many new ones were born The
young man has been several times re-
elected president OF the board Of trade.
and he can have anything the people of
that town can give him.
General movements toward a certain
purpose on the part Of disconnected retail
stores dealing in a certain line OF wares
are difficult to undertake. Yet the trade
papers Of the country are inauguratlng
many of them, with some signs of success.
The general merchant In a small town
finds his most dangerous competition in
the great maiI-order stores Of the big