The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-06-01

If every OrSau1zdllOu @ 90
the Business Mems League OF BIZ
mingham, Alabama, the nal order
houses would be completely routed.
This city takes care of the trade
within it's borders and extends It's
Influences far beyond. The facts TO
he set forth in this article Will De
surprising to many bushes men but
The results of the splendid work al
ready accomplished is even the least
the League expected to do.
If your town could attract $500 wv
of trade over the retail counter WITHIN
eight months you would feel pretty
good over the results, wouldn't 0 !!
Birmingham has done it. How olo
thew do it," you ask. 1t is easy to
summarize ID A good, city; ~ Co
operative Organizations; CD Enclent
Oficers: () Public Spirit; C5) Live
Newspapers; CD Judicious adVertls-
ing.
The keynote of the situation is
found in part by the following editor
ial from the Birmingham News:
I'm tho first place the business
men of Birmingham have provided the
shop, the stores, the repositories OF
all sorts of mercantile supplies need
ed by the men, women and children OF
this section. There are more retail
stores by far in Birmingham than IN
any city in Alabama, as many as in
a number of Southern cities much
older and larger than Birmingham.
These stores carry unusually large,
complete and stylish stocks OF fresh,
up-to-date goods. There are here
some of the largest and heaviest stock
ed department stores of the Ohio
river. The same thing is notably true
of the clothing line. The stock of
shoes, millinery, jewelry, hardware,
groceries, automobiles and supplies,
etc., all up and down the line for
home needs are here"
Now the next step was for the
merchants to organize. They formed
an organization ito do things and
principally to extend the retail trade
of the city. In February 1909, a tenn
porary organization was formed and
soon thereafter a permanent Organi-
Zation comprising the leading mer-
chants was made permanent.
Started With a Big Banquet.
One of the first moves was to ar
range for a celebration and a banquet
to signalize the opening of the new
twO-million-dollar terminal station in
this city. The success of the celebra-
ton and the inspiration given Bir-
mingham as a trade center at this
banquet are we'll remembered. The
whole affair was an immense success
and started off the work of the league
with that eclat which has helped to
make it what it has been in every
thing that tends toward making Bir-
mingham the trading center of a YER
large territory. In May 1909, Frank
p. Chaffee was elected the first Off
cial secretary of the organization, and
from that time on the work of the
league has been pushed in every pos
Sible way.
Special Rates on Railroads.
One of the first movements of the
league was to secure the thorough
and hearty Cooperation of the rail-
roads, and to make them feel that
their interests and those of the mer-
chants were mutual. At the solicta-
ton of the league nearly all the rail-
roads put on weekend rates with
tickets on sale Saturday and Sunday
good to return to selling points up to
midnight the following Monday. These
rates, which are about half the ordin-
airy apply to points within a large
radius, and have brought in a great
deal of Out-of-town trade. The league
also arranged with some of the roads
to put on special two-days rates
Many changes in train schedules were
secured which gave more midday
hou in Birmingham to the out-of-
town shoppers. These concessions by
the railroads were widely advertised
through the local and out-of-tow1
press, by signboards, bill posting
~stlckers, leaflets and in other ways.
Unique Advertising.
Probably one of the most UNIQUE
features of this advertising campaign
was having the merchants of Biz.
mingham give prominence in their dis
play ads to such phrases as. Week.
End Rates on Railroads." Special
Rates to Birmingham on All Rail.
roads," Get the Birmingham Habit, ,
Trade in Birmingham" In fact sew.
eral issues of the Birmingham D
contained from thirty to fifty such
phrases in the display ads of the mer.
NA1AIO OO14AS Lu1S phase OI the l0dR.
ue's work, which attracted attention
from all parts of the country.
Complies Mailing List.
A mailing list was started of thu
names OF reputable white people liv.
ing along the lines of the various rail.
roads leading into the city. This
mailing list has grown steadily unit
it now embraces nearly $4,000 names
Duplicates of this list and suppl.
ments to same were printed and fur.
nished to the merchant members O.
the league and used for circularizins
the Out-Of-town trade.
Secured Convention.
The league also went out after anC
secured quite a number of t~rade-bring
ing conventions. 1t has steadily ham
mered at this work and Birmingham
trade has felt it's good results. There
are now VerV few nincaS nj mail ov