Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-07-03
Sees Opportunity for Greater Service
in Building Up Speciality and Gift Shop

| In becoming. on July /. advertising
and sales promotion manager of the
| Gage specially shop of Great Falls,
| Edwin f. Cooper, former advertising
manager of Strain Brothers depart
ment store, attains point in his
career toward which he has been work
| ing for years. Ten years ago, while
| a clerk in stationery store in Arizona
| where among other things he sold high
priced curios and art goods, Cooper
| was convinced that there would be
great opportunities in later years in
specially and small shops and he made
up his mind to direct his energies to-
ward the time when he could step into
such store and through his knowl-
edge and energy and his love for that
kind of service, help to build the
shops business to large proportions.
The Gage speciality shop fills all the
qualifications Of the opportunity Mr..
Cooper has been looking for. 1t
stands as a monument to the business
ability and far sightedness of Frances
Gage who, without previous trade ex-
perience and imbued only with the de-
sire to be more independent yet of
more service. came to Great Falls from
New York in 1915, rented space in
Ferguson's shop and started a corset
and lingerie department on her own
account
Business Grew Rapidly.
Miss Cages talent to serve the
women of Great Falls and vicinity
that is, give them that delicately per-
sOnal attention which all women desire !
when purchasing wearing apparel
soon attracted to her a growing Glen
teie and she found it necessary a wear
later, in August, 1916. to move to !
larger quarters at 2O9H Central av- |
enue. Here she added new lines of |
silk lingerie and her business continued |
to grow SO that year later, August,
1917, she moved to still larger store !
at 4 Third street north. She then |
added lines Of blouses, sweaters, pet
ticoats and hose-and her trade con-
tinued to grow.
the Ferguson store and was preparing |
for big sale when the Steele building !
IN which the store was located was |
burned to the ground. The fire oc-
Cured three days after she had bought |
the goods and her loss was consider
able as she had not arranged for in
surance to properly cover her invest
ment. For month following the fire
she had no place of business. but in
late April she resumed her shop on
limited scale in Hotel Rainbow where
she continued it for four months. In
August, 1920. she moved into her
present location in the johnson hotel
building on Central avenue.
Increased Stock In 1920.
Miss Gage then stocked complete
lines of all wonien's ready to- wear
everything except gloves-her reason
for not selling gloves being that she
finds it difficult to secure the services
of competent glove filter who 10 also
competent in selling other lines. Her
stock includes Flanders blouses. Kay
ser underwear, Kayser, Gordon and
Onyx hosiery. Orchid. La Camille and
Bien Jolie corsets. Oriental negligees,
and special lines of dresses, petticoats,
sweaters, separate skirts, suits md
coats, millinery and furs.
As soon as the new Steel building
is completed, Miss Gage will move her
specially shop to the Lrstore room In
two entrances, one on Central avenue
and one on Third street north, both
entrances being next to the store on
the corner of Central and Third. On
the left, as one enters the new store
from Central avenue will be fitting
md stock rooms; on the right win be
glass Enclosed garment cabinets. En-
tering from Third street, one win, see !,
IN either side most modern glass In
closed unit display cases In which viii
- shown lingerie. blouses. hosiery and
.orsets. Extending from midway Of 81
he west side Of the store on Central ,
venue around the L to the front on :.
Third street will Be balcony on which