The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-05-22
IHF PROBLEM OF
GREATER BUSINESS


In the upbuilding of country towns
and rural communities and IN pro
tcctinR them from influences that are
tending to draw trade and population
AWAY from country districts ana to
conpcst people and business in tn"
larger cities, efficient and up-tO-dat"
business methods on the part OF local
merchants are necessary. Farm rs
and OF her consumers in the smaller
towns are often criticized for buy
Ing away from home. While II IS
true that this hurts the community
business is business, and If they can
do better or think they can do bet
ter, by buyin1 in Chicago than in
their home town,thcy cannot be great
" blamed for doing So 1t is also
true that taking everything into con-
sidcration, they can usually buy any
thing they may need or want of their
home merchants just as economically
as hey can anywhere else, and in
many cases they get really better
value from their home merchants.
But if the public does not know this
and if the lure of handsome Catalogs
from far away concerns ~ stronger
than the business methods o, tn To-
cal d. rrcnant, whose laul, Is IT!
There is much truth Ia m Iollow.
IN, resolution ADDICTED 4 hc NEE ting
of the Inland Empire Press Associa-
ton in Spokane in June 1912 we
further believe that the merchants
of the small cities and towns are in
measure responsible for the inroa Dis
of the mail order houses upon their
trade Having the advantage of i'm
mediate and personal contact with
their customers, they should by
adopting modern merchandising meth
DDS and through intelligent and per
sistcnt advertising, be able to com
pete successfully with the mail order
houses"
1t is obvious that if the tendency
to buy away from home and from
large catalog houses continues to in
crease, it can do so only at the cx-
pcnsc of the country trading and
prosperity The ultimate result
must be- the decay and Disappearance
of the country town. which is the
natural business and social center Of
the community In killing off the
country town. the best and most con-
vcnicnt market for the farmers pro-
ducc, is destroyed, the country be
comes a less desirable place in hich
to live and the farmers land drprr-
clItcs in value.
So better merchandising is a prime
essential in prrpctuatlng and
strcnRt hcninR rural community cen
tcrs
There are many things along better
merchandising lines that the country
retailer might do In the first place
h. can at small expense. make the
store front more attractive and do
vote NOR" attention to window dis
plays. Some stores have rest rooms
for the women and find they are APP
prrclatrd by their customers and are
well worth the slight investment
Some merchants are also realizing
that the new parcel post law affords
them an excellent opportunity to do
a considerable mail order business
themselves in the first zone or with
in radius of 30 miles and are go
ing after this business on "A compare
tive small scale of course but aggrcs-
sivcly and effectively. They can
meet and get acquainted with the
people and they should take part in
all movements for the benefit of the
communicated only in contributing
money, as they are always expected
to do, but in becoming real leaders
and men of influence
And finally the country merchant
should not overlook the importance
and influence of the local newspaper
newspaper can not give in service
any more than it receives in revenue
yet some people appear to be- disgust
ed because the local paper in a town
of | 900 does not come up to the pa
pcrs in the city of 100 900 Cndoub
eddy some country newspapers are
not what they ought to be. but to
any one who knows what's what in
the newspaper game, it is a marvel
that so many of them get out such
fine breezy and philosophical papers
as they do. considering the size of
the town and the patronage they re-
ccivc.
The right kind of advertising pays
in any line of business. The better
the advertising the better it pays
Advertise. and advertise in busi-
ness way. Feature some specific ar
ticlc or articles and make your ads
scasonablc Plain straightforward
selling talks are what you want to
put in your ads The use of an ap-
propriatc illustration adds much to
the effectiveness of an advertisement
1t not only makes pleasing ad but
it gets the attention of the reader.
An appropriate cut often makes
small ad the feature of the page
Many manufacturers will gladly fur
nsh merchants with cuts of their
goods.