The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-07-26
A BIG, FINE STORE

A Star reporter, Saturday after
noon, stepped in the new Marion
Hardware Company's store, and be-
ing taken in charge by that clever
salesman, Mr.. ]. r. Preer, was shown
all over this handsome and uptodate
post of the hardware trade.
The store was formerly the earn.
Thomas block. corner North Magno-
liza and Washington, and has added
to it the lot between it and the
Robertson building, north of the
Ocala National Bank. All in all. it
occupied about one-sixth of the en-
tire block between the courthouse
and the postoffice. The Carn-Thomas
block, already a solid and well-built
structure, has been largely added to
and improved. The front runs along
North Magnolia street, and is taken
up with window showcases-that is,
each showcase is glass-walled room.
eight feet wide, and combined they
are as long as the full length of the
building, except where the door makes
a break. Probably part of these win
dows will be given to some of the
Marion Hardware's famous displays
of tools, firearms. etc., but they will
mainly be given to articles larger
than those that can go in the aver
age show window A large automo-
bile could easily go into one of them,
so tractors, engines and other big
and novel pieces of machinery will
have first claim on their space.
The north room is given to the
regular run of retail hardware, guns,
ammunition, etc. It seems well
enough supplied with show cases, but
Mr.. Preer said the store was await
ing for big. curved case to face the
front door. The counters are so ar
ranged that the customer and sales
man can be on the same side of one,
instead of having it between them,
thus saving considerable time in MAX
ing sale.
The southern room down stairs is
devoted to mill and mining machinery,
agricultural goods and immense gun
titles of pipe, rods, wire, screws,
bolts, bar iron and other articles
handled mostly in bulk-the wholesale
department, in fact. They were stored
in great cabinets, in which they were
classified, and could be lifted out for
inspection and sale in second or two.
The large room upstairs was well
filed with lighter articles, sash, doors
and blinds, stoves. cans and other
goods which took up much room in
proportion to weight. The cellar,
below the northeast corner of the
building was filed with oil and other
material that needs to be kept cool.
The reporter was surprised to see
stored away in a corner number of
old-fashioned hand pumps. such as
are in use on the public square. They
have been in stock over thirty years
and many like them are in use all
over the country. It is a wonder that
they are not all sold, as they are
good goods, and very cheap in COM
parison with articles made today.
The store seemed well stocked, so
the reporter was surprised to have
Mr.. Preer tell him it had been short
ever since before the war started,
but lot of new goods was expected
in few days.
Right in the middle of the big re-
tail room was handsome and well
equipped Office. In this was ensconc-
ed most good-looking young lady
bookkeeper, and the reporter wanted
to inspect her first thing. Mr..
Preer however steadily steered him
away from her, upstairs, downstairs,
until every part of the building had
been looked over. Her turn came at
last, however; and when she had
passed the reporters critical eye she
was pronounced good, very good In
deed.
The Marion Hardware Company's
store is freproof and built to last for