The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-10-20
FROM DRUG CLERK TO
MILLIONAIRE OWNER
Thirteen Chain Stores in Washington
City Owned by DR.. Gibbs.

City Owned by DR. GlbDs.
very interesting illustrated page
autobiography of DR.. Malcolm G..
Gibbs, the Washington City chain
store druggist, appears Oct. 8 in the
Washington Post, for half a century
the leading newspaper in the capital
of the United States.
The article recounts with the i'm
aginative style of the reporter, Lee
Poe Hart, Of How Malcolm Gibbs, the
youngest son of VIM. B. and Harriet
P. Gibbs, of this city, arrived in the
capital twenty-five years ago, a youth
of some twenty years with the world
before him; of how he tried from
day to day to find place to work;
and from a very humble beginning
of how he began to succeed and from
success of how he came to the fore
front as one of the leading spirits in
the drug trade.
A very interesting personality, says
the reporter, but the success he de-
scribes in DR.. Gibbs own words
"just growed."
And yet that very interesting per-
sonality was +he best bet. There he
found the keynote. The young man
had it in school when he edited the
Buzz-Saw and when he set the pace
in his books; he had it when he drove
the wagon for the Union City Laun-
dry; he had it when he was local
quill driver for the Obion Democrat;
he had it in Washington when he
worked like beaver to get into bus
mess.
The writer knows the facts in the
case as we'll as any man living ex-
cept the family. The career of DR..
Gibbs is like story of magic. He
was, when he landed in Washington,
young man of slight build, delicate,
and after few months effort to find
a position apparently discouraged.
He was almost ready to report to the
Down and Out Club" but the lin
gering spark of that quality which
makes up his character persevered
and he started the other way.
DR.. Gibbs has the intangible thing
known as personality but he also has
executive ability and capacity and
above all the elemental qualities of
native humor and mental resources.
These with business training devel-
oped the genius of organization and
leadership. AS time passed he culti-
waited these with the opportunities of
the best schools of business and phar-
macy.
This was the ground work, and
from this came one success after
another until DR.. Gibbs is to-day at
the head of thirteen retail chain drug
stores in Washington City, with a
warehouse and Wholesale business as
supply and auxiliary institutions.
DR.. Gibbs last store has been num-
bered Fourteen, and he is over the
middle of the lap to the goal of 25
stores.
1t may seem strange to state, and
it may be hard to believe, but in
some of his stores the daily sales
amount to more than one thousand
dollars. His gross income approx
mates two million dollars a year. He
is also interested in public matters
in Washington. He is a director of
the American Security and Trust
Company, a member of the Board
of Trade, Chamber of Commerce,
Merchants and Manufacturers AS
ISOLATION and Mid-City Citizens As
sociation. He is also member of
the Congressional Country Club, |
Club and the Masonic order. !
Here are a few items of details:
what the Home of Low Prices
means to the populace of the Nations |
Capital is best represented by figures.
More than 10000 people are served
laily by the thirteen stores, totaling
more than 100000 a year. About
300 people are given employment by
he organization at the present time.
fifty display windows exhibit the
sold under the caption,
We always sell the best" The full |
ime of four window dressers is re-
Iuired for this work alone. Seven
arge trucks solve the transportation
,roblems in conveying the supplies
# stock from the warehouse and lab
to the stores in the Peoples
hahn.
DR.. and Mrs. Gibbs are now in Cal
fornia for a few weeks recreation,
Iincipally on Mrs. Gibbs account.
DR.. Gibbs was married to Miss
daude E. Foote twenty years ago
nd they have one son. Mrs. Gibbs
S the daughter of a well known ma
i've Pennsylvania attorney, for
many years a citizen of Washington.