Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-08-06
Fortune From $12 In 2 Years By College Girl

This is the story of a two-miilion
dollar chocolate drop.
Helen Elizabeth Townsend of Seat.
Tie Knew how to make 1t.
Martha Ardelle Townsend, her Sis
Ter. knew how to sell 1t.
under the trade name OF
Helen Ardelle," the family has a
business enterprise which promises to
het S1oo,Vo0 a year for an indefinite
length of time-the interest ON up-
wards of two million dollars!
me enterprise was started by Mar
ina wns a little more than two
Years ago, on a capital of exactly
twelve dollars.
From twelve to two million In thir-
y months-and all IN a chocolate
Verne dream?
Along about August, 1917. Miss
marina, then assistant secretary of the
seattle chamber of Commerce was
trying to figure out how she could
nance herself through a better bust
ness, course at the University of
Washington.
Today the better business" shares
and experts of the country are sit
ing up nights, trying to figure out how
TWO sisters made twelve dollars grow
into a fortune.
Martha Townsend didn't finish that
coilege course. Before she go well
into 1t the candy business began to
grow to such proportions that she had
to choose between advanced Education
and wealth,
1T was very simple" explained. Miss
Ardelle-'Helen Ardelle," being her
business "monicker."
L knew my sister Helen made the
very best chocolates 1 ever ate. She
used only the thickest, sweetest cream
ana the freshest eggs, which made her
candy expensive-but it was land Isl
worth every cent it cost.
me idea came to us following f.
nancial reverses in the family. A
syracuse University girl had made a
go Of 1T n I figured that we could
duplicate her success. Helen was a
stlckle Tor quality; I was a stickler
for honesty and perseverance-that Is
the key to the mystery"
Let me say right here that, In my
opinion. the 'old-fashioned' business
methods are the best. Faith in your
self, faith in our product, faith In
human1ty-those are the stepping
stones to success for women in Amer
lea!
I'VE started our candy selling in a
very small way. My sister made her
chocolates on the kitchen range and
L took orders wherever I could get
them. 1 w minded how small they
were-it was the repeat orders 1
wanted.
Soon after we began we agreed to
Keep up the high quality of our can
dies, come what would. Hence, when
the ingredients of the Helen Ardelle'
products rose in price we advanced
charge to meet the raise-we never
let u quality suffer.
Quality will always win. AS EN-
erson says, IF a man writes a better
book, breaches a better sermon or
neighbor, though he build his house
In the woods the world will make a
beaten path to his doori"
The first day Miss Ardelle" started
~canvassing for orders she sold S25
worth of candies; the first week, $50
worth; the first year, $4,000 worth;
the second year 5000 worth
This year, the indications are, more
than $150,000 worth of Helen Ar
dele candies will be sold in the Pa
cifc Northwest alone.
Helen Ardelle," while a firm be-
lever In publicity has yet to spend her
first MCKEE for advertising.
Il am open-minded on the subject"
she confesses, but the business has
grown SO rapidly hal we have been
h~ard-pressed to fill our orders without
advertising for more!"
The candies are still being made In
the Ardelle home In Seattle. The
home is now a beautiful residence in
the University district. The only diff
ferences are that Helen Elizabeth has
married and withdrawn from the en-
~terprise, n the scene of action a.
been transferred from the kitchen TO
the basement, now transformed into a
model" establishment. The mother
is now general productions manager
and chief of the household as well.
Miss Martha is a staunch believer
in home cooking and so far has
s~teadfastly refused to entertain any
proposition to build a regular factory.
"A factory has no SOUL" she de-
clares. AS long as We can possibly
handle our trade in our own home we
intend to do tive want to stay in the
amateur class If we cani
THE world is turning toward dis
tinctive candies" she said, land there
are tremendous opportunities for 9TH
er girls to do just wha we have
done.
ALL THEY NEED is GRIT-AND
A GOOD RECIPE!"