The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-05-25

Sometimes II pays 10 speculate.
even II you are In business
Men like Jim I'M have been
successful chiefly because they
had the ability to look ahead. Far
sightedness II simply the ability
10 put two and two together. TO
size up past and presen, condi.
tons. 10 note the drift Of things
and then draw correct conclusions
AZ 20 what IL Co happen next
When man scta on such con.
ciusion ~ IL sometimes called spec
ulatiug. but he generally oasheH 10
Carl Schermer. who runs the
biggest clothing store on First
Avenue. down on the corner OF
Yesler. has no idea OF being
claased with Jim nm. but when II
Comes 10 "seeings things" away
ahead. he Ia either unusually keen
or unusually lucky. Call IL what
Won viii. but he hits the nail on
the head and rings the bell
Nothing IN the history OF this
country has ever upset business
conditions 70 much az the present
conflict In Europe In the Last
few months paper has gone ~
fifty per cent. dye stuffs are eth.
or not TO be had. or. N at all. at
heretofore unhesrd OF prices
Clothing. leather and practically
everything that goes into the man.
ufaeture OF wearing apparel has
been climbing in price for months
and the end is not yet
Right here In where Schermer
did great stroke Of business. lie
sized things up" as long ago as
last winter and last fall. and he
felt 80 sure that he was right that
he invested n snug fortune in
goods for future delivery Ship.
ments of these goods have been
coming IN TO him every few days
ever since. keeping his big store
damned with merchandise The
beauty OF It ali In that these goods
were bought before the prices
went up and before there was n
shortage OF firHt-class materials
The result II that his wooden cloth.
ing IL stu all wool. his fast dyes
are still fast and HIS prices are
as low as ever.
Schermer says he In in business
TO make money. but he goes about
II In different way from the av.
erage. Instead OF raising prices
now that everything is sky high.
and making an unusually big profit.
he IL using his farsightedness
again and sticks TO the old low
prices lie has an ambition-he ad.
mitted st to The Star man-that
he wants to make his store unmis-
takably the mems buying center
for the downtown section. The
low price policy IL of course at
tracing a lot OF new trade. and he
figures he can make permanent
customers Of ninety TO ninety-five
per cent OF these people. Chances
are strong that Schermer Is right
In his figuring. for If he can keep
his business growing right along
as II has boon lately. he win make
80 many little profits that the pres
ont loss of n smaller number OF
big ones will be no loss at all In
stead. Il will prove the realization
OF the aforementioned ambition
which he Is nursing along with a
tenderness approaching fatherly
care.
Schermer has been In business
in Seattle n good many years and
II is said OF him that he has n
larger personal following than any
other man in his line. lie gets
trade from all classes. from bank.
ers. officials and business men
down to the humhlest worker. The
men In the shops down on the
tide flats use Schermer as bank.
err. and II Is a poor Saturday when
he does not have TO keep six or
seven thousand dollars on hand to
cash their paychecks.