Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-27
RETAILING WAS
DONE OTHERWISE
in EARLY times
George E. Bailey Draws Con-
trast Between Business
Now and Then.
COMMODITIES DIFFERENT
Grocer Formerly Considerably More
of a Factor in the Community
Than He Is Today.
BY GEORGE E. BAILEY.


IN VEN the casual observer cannot
r., help seeing progress IN our city
as he passes along. l came to
Rock Island from the south in De
cember, 1865, after having spent the
greater part of five years following
the flag At that time the echoes of
war were still in the air. The great
military prison on the island was be-
ing dismantled, the prisoners all be-
Ing gone, as well as most of the fed
eral troops stationed here. Looking
about for a place in which to live
concluded to try Rock Island first"
engaged a small retail grocery on
Second avenue tust below the Rock
Island house.
| was an entire stranger to every.
one in the city except my wife, and
! had to inquire of Squire Higgins Oh
the city scales for her. / had little
hope of much business for time, but
the progressive atmosphere of even
those days did not long leave us idle.
| soon made the acquaintance of Cap
tain Studley, D. F. Kinney, Captain
Dodge, A Benedict and others who
had fine fruit orchards back of the
city. In those days all the finest va
rieties of fruits came to our stores and
v ere retailed from there, as there
were but few peddlors in those days.
We could get on the early southern
/ express unlimited quantities OF straw
berries, blackbeTries and peaches in
one-third bushel baskets. We also
got peaches in one bushel baskets as
now and all were sold from our stores.
Now much of this trade has changed,
being handled by peddlers.
In the old days we often talked OF
a market place, but it never quite ma
tcrialized and cannot, so long as the
peddlers wait IpOn the people at their
doors.
BOUGHT MUCH FRUIT.
II was not uncommon then for
merchant TO purchase an entire wagon
load of fruit or vegetables several
times a week, and such qualities were
readily disposed Of The only peddler
doing business here when first came
was Mrs. Jones, who had quite gar
den on Twelfth street and Eighteenth
avenue.
In the old days. most of the poultry
game and oysters were handled by the
grocers. Now, the butchers look at
ter this trade, time and custom having
made these changes.
How well | remember when Charles
l Chamberlain was the only milkman
who delivered from a wagon, and how
we used to hustle with our pitchers
when we heard that bell ring Now We
must have our milk in a bottle and it
is brought to our doors.
In the early days, the grocer was a
factor in the community to be reck-
oned with He is not so Indispensable
now. He no longer supplies you with
shoe polish-the stand on every corner
does that No longer does he furnish
you with baking powder--he man in
the wagon does that and adds a spoon.
plate or washtub with every package.
Now We depend upon our butcher for
our Christmas turkey or ia hen. The
man who calls for rags and old iron in
the winter time in the summer time
supplies you many times a day with
water AAirlDAASr cbg-FS- bol4dl145s peaches
and pears. and the ubiquitous vegeta-
bic man calls you up all too early TO
select your daily supply OF garden
> truck
MAY COME BACK.
, And so it goes. There is little left
, for the grocery man 10 do but give you
: longtime credit on such supplies as
, sugar. -four. and few other articles
, that are sold on a small margin and
; are not convenient to peddie from door
: TO door But as time passes. other
J changes viii be made, and perhaps the
. gTCceTyman viii in time come back TO
: his own.
/ An encouraging sign is the general
} change 10 weight instead OF short
measure, which VIII operate TO the dis