Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-11-03
LOCAL STORES
. A TRADE MAGNET.
Customers Come Great Dis.
tance to Buy Goods
in Ottumwa
Go1IdeO els}S
|iolsIH 9lBlS
FACTORS AID
is DRAWING PATRONS
Varied Stocks Of Modish
Merchandise Shoppers
Chief Attraction

one OF the most remarkable days foA
retali merchandising in Ottumwa 70,
some tune past was Saturday, October
81, when thousands of persons from
outside or Ottumwa made this city the
center for their shopping. No line OF
retail business in Ottumwa was over.
looked by this transient trade that
mas for years been coming here
Many new faces were seen among
Saturdays shoppers and many of these
came from places 100 miles distant.
IL may be surprising to some to
know that Ottumwa's retail stores are
magnets for the shoppers as far dis.
tant on the west as Red Oak, on the
east as Burlington and Keokuk south
Well into, Missouri, north on the very
skirts OF Cedar Rapids, and even as
far to the northwest as Fort Dodge
coming through Des Moines to Ottum-
wa. One such customer was among
the visitors here Saturday and she re-
turned with one Of the latest and most
modish ladies' ready to wear garments.
such as are easily obtainable in OF
tumwa.
Ready to Wear Goods Attract.
People from far distances find them.
selves fortunate in being able to get
in Ottumwa what they cannot get else
where outside of the very largest
cities and at prices that make a trip
to the bigger centers out of the ques.
tion. Ladies' ready to wear garments
were one Of the chief attractions In the
Ottumwa stores Saturday for the
count less numbers that came here to
do their shopping. Several Of the
larger stores state that Saturday was
one of the biggest days for out Of
town trade experienced for q long
time and one of the bigger merchants
stated that fully IS per cent OF his
Saturdays trade was from out of town
customers that came by train and auto.
Shoppers from all over southeast.
ern Iowa and northern Missouri are
fast learning that they may enjoy big
city retail merchandising with un-
limited stocks and good values in OF.
tumwa.
Good Travel Service.
That Ottumwa is the real retail
trading center for southeastern Iowa
is becoming emphasized more each
year. The elements that have made
this possible are numerous and among
ting in and out of OttumWa during the
shopping hours. The various railroads
afford means Of bringing shoppers
from points more than 100 miles dis
tant and returning them home the
same day. The country roads, coupled
with the fact that autos are numerous,
is another factor in making Ottumwa
the mecca for milady and the sterner
sex as fell, who frequent this city for
the splendid retail values to be had
here.
Stocks Chief Attraction.
The chief factor, however, in making
Ottumwa the center of retail activity
in the southeastern part of Iowa is
the retail stores themselves. The
stocks carried are almost infinite in
variety and vie with those shown in
the metropolitan cities. Nothing that
is new and nifty in dress for man or
woman need be purchased outside OF
Ottumwa, for what is not found in
stock by the customer is supplied with
in day or two from the manufacturer
and Paris modes are obtainable here
as we'll as in the larger cities. Added
to this is the very important fact that
the price for which these modish
articles are sold in OttumWa Is such
that it is cheaper to buy them in OF
tumwa than for the ultra fashionable
to travel to Chicago or other big
cities to have their discriminating
tastes catered to.
Still another factor is that Ottumwa
merchants pay the railroad fares OF
their out of town customers and this
one feature, adopted some years ago
by Ottumwa merchants, has been
copied by some OF the stores In larger
cities outside Of Ottumwa and the
state.