The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-09-24
SHOPPERS THR0NG
RETAIL DISTRICT
HOME FOLKS AND VISITORS CROWD
STORES INSPECTING LATEST
REPORT HEAVY SALES
FIRST DAY or FASHION SHOW
WEEK DEMONSTRATES SUCCESS
OF VENTURE--MERCH
GREATLY PLEASED
REPORT HEAVY SALES

All day long yesterday visitors and
home folks crowded the stores in the
retail districts OF Broad and Main
streets, inspecting the elaborate dis
play of fall and winter fashions. and
far into the night the window
shoppers thronged Richmond's Great
White Way bent on a similar mission.
Marking the real opening of Fash
ion Show Week, it was a great day
for the merchants and a great day
for the shoppers. Most of the peo-
pie who visited the stores. OF course
went to see and be shown and not to
buy, for that Is the purpose of the
general Opening week" The trad
ing is expected after the week Of In
spection is over--but many of the
merchants reported heavy sales yes
terday and all Of them were enthus
iastic over the results ofthe first day
One Broad street merchant report
ed the sale of a SIS cot this morning
before $40 o'clock, evidencing the
value of the opening nights window
display
Merchants Enthusiasts,
Secretary w A. Clarke, of the Re
tail Merchants association. took the
trouble yesterday to interview all of
the Broad street merchants in order
venture so far as it has progressed,
Il found every ono Of the mer-
chants enthusiastic over the opening
day." said Mr. Clarke last night, "and
every one Of them is anxious for
repetition OF the event next spring in
the shape of an Easter fashion show.
OF course, 1t was an experiment, II
is the first time Richmond has tried
it. but we have gained much valuable
experience from the present show al
ready and viii have had much more
to profit by before the week is over
and | am sure that next spring w
will have a show that will compare
with anythic, in the country,
1.-THE people were not expected 10
buy this week-thev were invited 10
inspect the fail and winter styles IN
every line. Styles, as you know,
change at least twice year. Right
now brocades are fashionable In dress
goods and dark mahogany is the
proper caper In furniture and so on,
ad infinttum But even at that the
merchants report heavy sales today.
We have no way of asCertaining how
many ut-of-toWn people the fashion
show is drawing except by the sales
made -4sfa- the hotel registers hat fran
information at hand now there are
many out-uf~town people here and
there VIII tie thousands more during
the week
Success Assured,
Tho success of the affair thus far
has not only succeeded the fondes,
hopes Of the committee In charge Of IL,
hut il has demonstrated the wisdom
Of the plan Of having general spring
and fall opening weeks. 1t has fur
Their demonstrated the potency Of hav-
ing up-todate window displays. A
siipshod window display is about as
ineffective as a senii-annual advertise
ment in a newspaper. Effective dis
plays sell goods and many of our
merchants who have been careless
heretofore on this score have come
to a realization of IT."
An expert window dresser, who has
had vast experience in the metro
politan cities declared yesterday with
out equivocation, after an inspection
Of Broad street stores, that the win
dows were as up-to- date in the mat
ter of styles and as well dressed as
the shop windows of New York or
Philadelphia THE shopper cannot see
anything more up-to-date in any of
the windows of the big stores of New
York and Philadelphia, he said. and
the leading stores here have window
dressers who know their business. for
| find a taste and skill displayed that
could not be surpassed anywhere"