The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-06-13
MERCHANTS, ATTENTION!

The Sunday 1ndex-Journal, OF
Greenwood, has the following news
item:
"The campaign 'inaugurated
by The Index-Journal to draw
trade to Greenwood from sur
rounding territory is deserving
commendation and promises to
! bring results of material benefit
to ALL classes of Greenwood bus.
iness," r. B. Curry, president of
the Greenwood Chamber Of
Commerce, stated yesterday. As
q specific instance Of the good
results of the publicity campaign
of the Index.Journal, Mr.. Curry
=. stated that one prominent
: Greenwood merchant told him
that he counted Is shoppers
from Abbeville in his store in
one morning and another mer-
chant declared there was not
room for the cars of Abbeville
shoppers alone to park in front
of his store during a sale. "The,
Chamber of Commerce heartily
approves the movement to en-
courage outside trade to come
to Greenwood and stands ready
to cooperate in every legitimate
way in the effort to draw pat
ronage of Greenwood businesses
frbm surrounding countless"
Mr.. Curry continued.
This, it appears to US, should
cause the merchants and business
men of Abbeville some concern. II
should cause all of US concern. The
newspapers may be accused of writ.
ing sometimes from selfish interests
Sometimes we may do so. But un.
dertaking now to discuss this matter
from an unselfsh standpoint solely,
weSsay that the business of this city
is in the hands of the merchants of
the city. The place which this city
will occupy from a business stand
point depends almost solely on the
merchants of Abbeville. Whether
Abbeville will continue to be good
place to trade; a place sought by
shoppers and those with money to
invest in merchandise, depends ION
the business acumen of our mer-
chants. If they command the trade
Of this section it means that people
will continue to come to Abbeville to
do their business. They will be inter-
ested in our enterprises; they will
patronize our banks; they will help
build our schools and help support
our institutions. In the fall, if our
merchants are alive and active, the
people Of the surrounding country
will continue to market their cotton
here, spend the proceeds here and
look to this place as the centre of
their business activities. We will lose
all of this if our merchants are not
alive.
John Wanamaker says that the
way to do business is to have mer-
chandise that will stand advertising,
and then advertise it. There is no rea-
son why the MERCHANTS in Abbeville
should not have as good stocks of
goods as the merchants in Green
wood. We believe they have gener-
ally speaking, but that they are not
looking as fully to the wants of the
people as other towns just now VIII
not be denied. They have their
stocks of goods and are keeping
them, unadvertised, while the Green
wood merchants are coming here and
taking the trade away through sys-
tematic advertising and by display
ing stocks of goods in everyway up
to-date. The money Of the Greenwood
advertisers will pay as many bills for
the newspapers as will the money Of
the Abbeville merchants. But we all
want to see trade kept at home. We
can keep it at home if the merchants
so will We will continue to lose it if
the merchants so decide.
If Abbeville is not to be kind of
a resort for good people to live in,
with little of buusiness, and less Of Il
each year, the merchants of Able