The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-26
HOLIDAY TRADE
Up TO STANDARD
Richmond Merchants Unite in
Calling 1913 Satisfactory
Business Year.
AUTUMN LULL SHORT-LlVED
Winter Buying Compensated for
Small Volume OF Trade
Earlier in Season.

Richmond merchants, hastily review
ing yesterday the retail business of
the year just drawing to n close. pro-
nounced 1t in every way satisfactory.
some going so far as TO call it the
most successful business year in the
last half decade. Two or three man
ayers Of big stores thought that while
the year as whole did not register
the high mark attained three or four
years ago, the volume OF business was
up 10 expectations All called the holt
Cay season jus, past remarkably good.
good
The holiday business this year"
said Samuel Cohen. president of the
Retail Merchants Association OF Nir-
Sinia, and senior member of the Cohen
Co. differed from the holiday trade
OF recent years in this way: the pur-
chasing was in smaller amounts. and
moro evenly distributed. To put il in
apother way. the shopping crowds
were vastly larger. There was com
paratively little splurging. Everybody
seemed 70 be able to buy. and pretty
nearly everybody bought.
LuiI Did Not Last.
W nile the wear as II WEplc cdnhbl nc
called 'sensationaily big, it WAS in
every way satisfactory There was
marked lull in the retail Held in the
early autumn. but this soon gave way
TO AN encouragingly large winter and
holiday business, with the result that
the year as whole rounded out
normally. and in many cases far ahead
Of last year and even the year before.
The general unrest due TO the i'm
,s.l.
rs FAR us have been able to learn.
had little effect upon the retail trade
in Richmond or the state at large.
After all. the effect of national lcgis-
lation. unless il is unduly radical. is
very slow To make itself felt in tho
retail trade. II may cause Vail Street
to cut out n few luNuries and cause u
falling off in the number Of sailinCs
TO Europe. but the country at large
continues to do it's shopping in prac-
tically the same volume. and is iniu-
enced chiefly BY conditions OF labor
and the price that the farmer receives
for his products
Discounts Calamity Cry.
There is type Of merchant who
raises the calamity cry on the small
est preteXt. If such n merchant has
been accustomed to clear $4,000 dur
ing the year. he rropheaies ruin when
one ear pTlliSS clliN S-"r'Nu u IL wen
TO discount the calamity howl whcr-
ever II is met this year. 1t is not sup
ported by the information | get from
the merchants in the country and other
towns in the state. have heard little
ana don't believe that
1918, as business year, gives any
room for it,"
a resume Of the year in similar vein
was made by /. O. Miller. of Miller &
Rhoads. vino said that his firm enjoyed
"a most satisfactory holiday business,
and VAS preparing to close one Of the
most successful years in the history
OF the store.
I'VE did an cxceptiona.ly good holt
day business said G. r. Norman. of
O. II. Berry & Company, president Of
the Retail Merchants Association of
Richmond. and the year as whole
was good. The volume of business we
did was larger this year than the year
before. and probably ahead of any sim
liar period in recent years. AS far as
| am able TO learn. this was the cx-
pcrience of Richmond merchants gen
orally. |, have heard remarkably little
kicking