The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-01-16

invited me to be their guest here and
deliver the same lecture, thinking pos
sibly 1t might be of some benefit to the
business people of the city of Dubuque.
! might say in starting, so that you
will understand how | happen to be
In this line Of work, that | am just
an ordinary merchant and not an ora
tor like Mr.. Karr. whom you heard
last wight.
understand you do not have q re-
tail merchants organization. You are
missing a grand thing. What Is
really the life of any city? 1t is the
merchants. They are the real people
who do things, keep everything NOV
Ing. Should they not work together
as a unit and shape the destinies OF
your city? And ! urge you to get to-
gether in an organization, have a few
banquets like this, and talk over the
problems Of your city, and your ad-
vertising propositions. l am a great
believer In collective advertising,
where everybody In the town get to-
gether and advertise. and really one
Of your greatest assets is a good press
with a good big circulation. ] have
always said that / attribute a great
deal Of our success to the newspaper
men.
Borrowed Money to Pay Freight on
First Stock.
When I first started in business &c
years ago l bought out a grocery firm
IN the city Of Devils Lake, N. d. For
tunately / had a letter of credit and
q Minneapolis grocery firm let me
have 1000 worth Of merchandise. l
had worked In the grocery business.
AS a boy Of twenty-one years of age
the highest salary ! ever got vas $3S
q month. ! didn't have enough money
to a the freight on my merchandise
and borrowed money from my father.
! opened up that little store. l had
to pay SIS a month rent. Some Of
the merchants failed in that town and
] bought some of the fixtures, about
$50 or $40 worth. When ! got ready
to open up the store, a newspaper
man, q friend Of mine, came in and
said: Erred, you have your stock
here, and l believe you understand the
grocery business. You are pretty
well known here and pretty we'll liked.
] want to tell you something. If you
want to succeed you must advertise. !
want you to take a little space In my
paper. Now don't think that you are
merely giving 1t as a donation to the
paper. 1t will mean not only business
for me, but business for you as WELL"
He had a book called printers Ink"
He said II get this book every week
and will bring 1t to you. Read 1t.
Not only read it. but absorb it."
did that and some way or other
when | had that little store stocked
and let the people know that ! a
in business, and that | would like
their patronage, ! began to do busi-
ness. Very fortunately for me my old
boss did not believe In advertising.
We kept putting little ads In every
week-snappy live ads. My old boss
thought II didn't amount TO anything
but II didn't work out that way, and
the business began to come to me.
The first year I sold with the aid OF
one man $4,000 worth Of groceries.
/ made up my mind that 1t was alb
solutely necessary that ! get the
money for what ] sold. was always
very careful on the credit and insist
ed that they pay within at least thirty
days. told them ! had to pay for
the goods that way, and they under
stood, and with very few exceptions
and losses. they paid me. ! went
along that way for three or four years.
] kept increasing my advertising.
Later I added dry goods and clothing.
We began to grasp the idea that adj
vertising had helped to sell groceries
and would naturally help any other
line. ! did the advertising. The bust
ness grew rapidly and in 1907 we built
very beautiful store. Everybody
said was going broke sure. The
building cost me $4,000. It Is Is by
40 feet. two stories and basement
We only use the lower f0or and the