The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-26
HER IDEA AND ENERGY
PROVED AMPLE CAPITAL

There are the goods you ordered
them at once7"
amazed the hair goods buyers at large
Chicago department stores one day
about ten years ago when very
young woman brought in a quantity
of wigs, switches and other adorn-
mefts for feminine heads
"Oh, yes" replied the buyers. I'VE
remember ordering the goods, Mrs
Delevan, but we are not In the habit
OF making instant payment. That will
Rave TO be handled through the
I egular channels. Your check will
beach you within ten days"
Ten days is nine days too much"
as the answer. you see I'm running
this business on very limited capital
and l really need the money at once.
only In that way will / be able to
meet my pay roll and deliver future !
orders
BY dint OF little argument and the
offer Of a per cent discount for
cash. Mrs Delevan secured her
roney and left the department stores
With a snile~--for, while she had ad-
m tied that her capital was limited,
lshe didn't dare say just how small il
was. AS a matter of fact she had
recisely $50 in bank when she started
land when she had paid her workers
for their first week, contributed s15i
Ito the man from whom she bought her
raw materials ana met the expenses
incident TO her own living. the sur
II lus wasn't SO very far from sixty
five cents.
Little wonder, therefore. that she
- cd IA 4 h. he iH
I artment stores.
\ Strickland An idea.
The following Monday everything
went smoothly and Mrs. Delevan had
visions of building up a fairly success
iful business in hair goods. But on
Tuesday a stunning blow fell. Her
workers announced that they wanted
higher wages and that they would
leave unless the increase was granted
Mrs. Delevan explained that she didnt
have the money TO meet their de-
lmands, SO every one of them walked
tout.
Fortunately. however. the owner of
the business had been working for
some time on an automatic attach
II ent for power sewing machine
which would permit her entirely to do
away with the hand work, All Tues
"details of her invention and, the fol-
lowing morning, asked permission |
Fl ON the Wheeler e. Wilson Sewing
Machine company to try out the de-
IVice in their factory.
It worked-~and within two days.
lcne girl operatiS was turning out
ms much work as twelve hand sewers
tad been able TO attend TO before,
The device was Immediately patent
A..l yJaft fz- No
! cry substantial fortune which Mrs,
Delevan has built UP through her
manufacture of hair goods Now
isAe does IA wholesale NJ we'll as retail
business and, within the last threa
years. has enabled America to step
to the front in an industry formerly
icontroIied by Germany--the' making
of wigs for dolls.
! Previous to August, 1914. the bulk
| % dolls sold throughout the world
we're made In Germany and their
wigs were manufactured separately,
Ito be attached by the local whole
salers When the war broke out
There was a good sized .over-supply OF
these wigs on this side of the Allan
tic. but it was soon apparent that this
Isurptus would by no means meet the
demand for more than six months.
| Sensing the fact that this condition
presented an even larger opportunity
than did the other branches of the
IhairEoods industry. Mrs Delevan at
lCnce commenced to experiment with
1.-THE manufacture of these miniature
iVirs and soon turned her entire plant
Into dol-wig factory, That she had
gagged the situation correctly is
llroven by the fact that from every
day to this she has never come within
a year OF catching up with her or
td,r