davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
EVERYTHING is
NOW READY FOR
TOPEKA'S SHOW
Pageant of Progress viii Open
to Public Wednesday.
Exhibits Are Being Placed in
Booths on Streets.
APRIL rs, IT, 1928 THE DATES
Topeka Business Men Are Civ
ing Their Time and Money.
Automobile Show VIII Be Fa-
ture of Pageant.
Exhibits Are Being Placed in
Booths on Streets.
APRIL 26, IT, 1928 THE DATES

Topeka's Pageant of Progress is
pra ctical1y ready for the gates TO
swing open Wednesday at noon.
The exhibits are rapidly being
placed in the bungalow booths. erected
under the supervision of J. A. Darna-
by, general Pageant director.
The members of the cast who will
take part in the staging of The His
and are letter perfect. The ballets
and chorus scenes will be ready TO
thrill the thousands who will view
the Pageant of Progress spectacle in
the city auditorium. The carnival
shows, concessions and other special
features are ready for the opening.
Elaborate Plans Made.
Never before has a strictly local
enterprise been so widely advertised
and so deliberately planned. Topeka
business men are giving up their time
and money to give the thousands OF
of their lives. From an entertainment
standpoint alone the Pageant of Prog
ress will be we'll worth driving miles
to see. The educational displays in
the Court of Commerce will be novel
and many of them decidedly original.
Various demonstrations will keep
the visitors interested at all times.
Some of the best dem onstrators in
the employ of national advertisers will
be here for. the Pageant exposition.
From the time the visitor enters tile
big main entrance on Eighth and
Kansas avenue until he comes out of
the city auditorium, where the big
spectacle is to be staged. there will
be many wonderful sights to view
The Automobile Show.
The automobile show alone would
be worth the price of admission. II
is the largest ever held in Topeka.
The space was sold the first day the
entry books were opened.
More merchants have entered for
the display than ever Joined in ons
big show of this kind in Topeka.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
HE SELLS SCALES
Joseph w. Johnson Makes Spe-
cialty of Weighing Machines.
Is Local Representative for
Widely known TOIedOs.

Joseph w. johnson. 212 Fillmore
street, is doing his share to keep the
ole steelyard, one of the oldest types
OF scales, relegated to the scrap heap
where it properly belongs. johnson
is the Topeka representative of the To-
ledo scales
Time has wrought wonders in
weighing. Weighing equipment in the
early days was more or less of
puzzle. To say the least it was crude
and inaccur-te. The old steeIyar1
was fair sample. 1t was the first
OF the unreliable pose on the beam
scales which EVEN now are used more
than they should be.
Modern Weighing Machines.
Toledo scales represent the most
modern weighing equipment maufac-
tured today and should be in every
business house dealing in commodities
sold by weight. For retail weighing
they are computing. springless and au-
tomato, accurate TO the fraction of an
ounce and extremely durable. so say
nothing of the time saved. They weigh
and compute in taneously and ac-
curately.
Johnson has been a resident of To-
peka for sixteen years. He was for
merly manager Of the .ce cream de-
partment of the Beatrice Creamery
company and late vas gagged in the
life insurance business with H. o. Gar
vey. On January I. this year. he
Joined the Toledo scales sale force
and reports a good business.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
WHAT IT MEANS TO TOPEKA
Topeka's Pageant of Progress
ExenpIifies Spirit of Business
Men Who Look Forward to a
Bigger and a Better City.

Topeka's Pageant of Progress means
more to the city than the mere fur
nishing of entertainment for thou
sands of persons who will attend.
1t exemplifies the spirit of Topeka
business men. who look forward to a
bigger and better city in which to live
and do business.
For many years something of this
sort has been in the minds of many
of the live business men who make up
the membership of the Topeka Mer-
chants association.
Not until this spring was it pos
sibIe to enlist sufficient moral and fl
nancial support to put the idea over in
a manner that would be creditGble to
Topeka.
The huge buildings that have been
erected on Eighth avenue and Quincy
street mean more than they signify
in cost. They mean that at least To-
peka is going to have an annual spring
show that will attract thousands of
persons from all over the trade terri
tory.
From a strictly business viewpoint
the Pageant of Progress will be highly
successful Every time persons visit
Topeka every line of business should
be thankful. For sooner or later every
cent of money that comes in from the
outside finds its way to the money
drawers of every line of business.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
STARTED IN 1878 He is SUCCESSFUL
Felix Clothing Company Is Sue
ceSSOr to Felix & Son.
Firm Is Making Plans Now to
Enlarge Store.

The Felix Clothing company was in
corporated in 1913 as successors to
Felix & Son. F. w. GriggS and 1. w.
Felix incorporated the store and have
been with the store from that time.
The father of Mr.. Felix was one of
the oldest merchants in Kansas. AT
one time he had a chain of stores in
the cities of Topeka, Kansas City, Mo-,
Minneapolis. Mimi. Parsons and Law
renee.
The store has been located since
1913 at 631 Kansas avenue which is
pany purchased the building and is
contemplating charging it within the
next six months. Recently It has in
stalled several sections of sectional
glass cabinets for display.
Special Attention to Advertising.
The company has always paid spe-
cial attention to the window display
and most of its advertising is done by
the windows and in newspapers.
Men and young mems clothing, hats
and furnishing goods are sold. The
store has always catered particularly
to younger men and consequently most
of the clothing sold is to the younger
men.
Hickey Freeman & Company, and
Kuppenheimer & Company, are the
makes of the clothing in the Felix
made by Barsaliao. Dunlap & Com
pany, and Ward English hats The
kinds of shirts are Manhattan, Hide &
Company, CIuetts Peabody & Co. Vas
sar underwear is sold.
The number of employees vary in the
store at the different seasons of the
year but the average is ten. The
Felix Clothing company has an ex-
hibft at the Pageant and the display is
to be both interesting and instructive.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
STARTED IN 1915
w. w. Mills Garment Company
Started in Small Way.
Place Today Is Three Times Its
Original Size.

In September, 1915. w. W. Mills.
veteran merchant of the sos, SOS and
1905, in Topeka Incorporated the w.
w. Mills Garment company. The COM
pany started with paid up capital of
$1,000, all of which was borrowed; IL
had a small but faithful and efficient
organization, including Mrs. A. +. Glib
and Carrie H Vesper, who had both
been buyers for Mr.. Mills for many
years.
The space occupied was 800 square
feet, onefifth of which Mr.. Mills i'm
mediatelyi took for window display
space. Being almost destitute of fix
lures for a time, garments were sold
to purchasers about directly from
original package The first three
months of business the entire capital
was turned in sales almost five times
Captain Arthur NJ. Mills assisted in
the manag cement of the business I'm
1916 and continued until he went into
military service in 1917. The pro-
longed illness of Mr.. Mills prevented
him from giving attention to the busi-
ness, SO L. G. Thorpe. who has been
associated with Mr.. Mills for several
years, managed the business until Au-
gust 1919. Captain Mills returned
from France in 1919 and purchased
the interests of his brothers heirs.
Captain Mills continues as manager OF
the business at this time.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
BUILT ON SERVICE
international Harvester Co.
Satisfies All Its Customers
Speed Truck Is Provided for
Each Dealer Now.

The International Harvester COM
pany has always considered the fact
that service was paramount and that
success was closely related to the
quality of service provided for Gus
toners. IT is not enough to have ma
chimes built right-they must be kept
right.
On the other hand no matter how
well the machine may be built. sturdy
construction and excellence Of me-
chanicai details. there must be rervics
to the owner. The policy of the COM
pany therefore. has always been to
provide customers with the best that
money would buy, and then see that
the customer got value received for
his money. There has never been any
orphans in the Mccormick DeerinR
line. and machines in use for a very
long period Of years. disclose the fact
that service only has kept them in the
field.
This year the Harvester company
have gone a step farther and have
provided their dealers with a speed
truck. painted in an attractive color
with suita bic lettering. that these
dealers may be better fitted for rem
dering their customers prompt and ef-
fcient service. Up to this date over
5000 are speeding their way along
the public highways of this country
from one end to the other.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
THEY SELL TIRES
Mid West Tire Company Was
Started in EmpOria.
Grant Sword and John Nj.
Rankin Founded the Firm.

The Midwest Tire company is not,
strictly speaking, a Topeka product.
The first Midwest Tire company was
started in Emporia That was in Sep
TENDER. 1919. Grant Sword and John
M. Rankin had returned from the
army, and having been partners before
the war in the tire business, decided
to continue their partnership. They
started their little shop. which became
very successful enterprise.
= Then they saw an opportunity beck
on in Topeka and they started a new
office in this city, at III East Seventh
street. They had incorporated in
March, 1920. Business continued to
improve, until in 1921, they found it
would be necessary to expand some
how, and so they moved to larger
quarters at 113-115 West Tenth street,
where they had had only two en-
ployes. Now they employ five per-
sons.
Their business is primarily a tire
business. At the beginning there
were sixty-seven tires in stock; now
they carry from five to six hundred.
Besides that they do tube repairing
store cars. and sell oils. Recently
they added the Carlisle Rope tire to
their stock. This is an extraordinary
tire, the only one of it's kind in the
world. 1t is made of rope, instead or
fabric, and is the strongest ever made,
altho it is sold at the same price as
any of the other tires. Particular
bargains in used tires are a speciality
of this shop.
The Midwest Tire company is very
proud of the fact that all of the men
connected with the shop are ex-service
men, and feel that no company in
town has a better record for pa
triotism.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
White Swan Bakery Now Con.
Quoted by J. w. Harrison.
Business Is Now Seeking a
Larger Location Here.

That a man should make a, success
of the bakery business is not unusual
But that a man utterly without ex-
perience in such a business should
take it over and after a little over
a year have made a better thing than
ever in it's history had been done, is
unusual. ]. W. Harrison has done
this with the White Swan Bakery.
The bakery has been in existence for
some time. 1t was started by a man
named Swan. He sold it to the Ferner
brothers, in the early part of 1916,
and they sold to B. F. Allgood in
1919. The next year, he passed it
on to the Haworth brothers, who kept
it for a short time and then it came
into the possession of Harrison.
AItho he had. never done any bak-
cry work before, always having been
a real estate dealer, he started right
out with the correct theory. "Qual-
ityi Give your customer the very best
that money and skill will turn out"
He found very shortly that his GUS
toners responded with enthusiasm to
this idea, and his business soon began
to take on a prosperous appearance.
He had started with two bakers and
two helpers, and a girl to wait on
trade. He soon had to increase his
force, @until now he has five bakers.
three helpers, a pastry cook. and two
girls for waiting on customers. In
Guiding truck drivers and janitors, he
employs fifteen persons
The White Swan Bakery runs con-
tinuously, night and day, having three
shifts and keeping the ovens going all
the time. II does a large business.
besides its town trade, sending daily
shipments to about twelve towns in the
vicinity of Topeka.
Harrison has recently installed a
new bread wra pper. and plans on put
ting in more next month, including a
cooky-cutter. He plans on soon pro-
curing a new location in which to do
wholesale baking. Altho he has not
decided on the definite location as yet.
he knows that it will be on the east
side to get the benefit of the extra
gas. The place he has now will be re-
modelled and used for his retail trade.
The White Swan akery is the third
largest bakery in tcwm 1t specializes
in particular kind of bread, the
Uncle Sam brand, and in cinnoman
rolls.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
A12-YEAR GROWTH
Harris-GOar Store Opened Here
in Small Rooms.
Now 1t Requires $500 Feet of
Floor Space.

When r. Z. Marling started the
Harris-G oar store about twelve years
ago prospects at first did not look very
bright. He had only two upstairs
rooms in the back part of the building
at Gil Kansas avenue. His stock was
small, and the ST.. itself was not well
known in Topeka. altho the head store
at Kansas City had a great reputation
there.
He did not believe in waiting for the
business to come by ic-elf, but he went
out and got it. He had had consider
able experience in the store of the
Halris-Goar company in Kansas City,
and knew their method and the sort
of business they conducted and he
knew that4there would be like posi-
bi1ities in Topeka his home town. He
won many friends in Topeka and thru
his quiet. genial. manner and his evil
dent sincerity. he made many perma-
nent customers for the store
As business grew. it was found nee
'essary TO find a new location with
more room and better access to the
street In 1918, the store was moved
to 104 East Sikh street. Thru jul
dicious ad sing and .-on-, work
of the manager, the n. mber of Gus
toners continu~- to increase, and in
Sixth was added. doubling / amount
of floor space. .
In the spring of 1919. the store was
moved again to obtain better facilities
and more room for the still increas-
ing business. to sos Kansas avenue.
and again on January 1. 1921, it was
forced to move. This time it moved
to its present lection at 612-614 Kan
sas avenue with a total floor space
OF $500 square feet. Today even with
this added space, the store is often
crowded for room.
Twelve years agr. the T-1rris- Goar
company's Topeka store was only a
second floor, back enterprise. Now.
due to MarliH ring efforts and
faith in Topeka as a city of real pos
this store is one of the leading
stores in Topeka.
Twelve years ago. he was his only
employee; now over forty persons are
under his direction. While his first
stock would not fill an average dry
goods box, today it requires over 1900
square feet of floor space.
Marlir~'- success in -opeka has
warranted his firm in placing him in
charge of the general management
and buying Tor all Harris-Goar stores
located at Topeka. Wichitae Oklahoma
City, Lincoln and Kansas City.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
HE MAKES SUITS
n. III. Wolff Has Been in Bust
ness "a Years.
Has Tailored Clothes for Many
Governors of Kansas.

Because he hated to see men wear
ing i1l-fitting clothes, n. H. Wolff went
into the tailoring business thirty-four
years ago. He had a capital of $2.40.
a knowledge of tailoring that he had
picked up around" and a faith in
himself that pulled him along to the
position of one of Topeka's leading
tailors.
Since the time of Governor Hum
phrey, he has made the clothes for
every governor of Kansas except two.
He has made the uniforms for the
Topeka police force and the city fire
department for the last thirty-two
years Most of his trade comes from
Topeka. but he has a number of out
of-town customers also. He has had
some of his customers since 1883, and
he now makes clothes for their sons.
Be Honest-His Advice.
His best advice to those who wish
to makea success of tailoring, as he
has done, is, BE honest; give good
value for what you receive and pay at
tention to the Innings and trimmings"
The reason for the last part of his
advice is that if Innings and trimmings
are not well put in, the fit of the whole
suit may be spoiled He has no opln-
ion of the sleasy silk Innings that are
often put into coats and suits Serge
is one of the commonest materials he
uses for Innings. He says it is better
than satin, because satin is more like
ly to split soon.
Wolff has never catered much to
the women's trade, tho he has made
some suits for them. Women are. as
a rule, harder t. fit than men. and
rather harder to please than the aver
age man, tho this does not always hold
true.
He carries the largest stock of wool
ems in the city, he says. Most of them
come from the Detmer Wooden Mills,
which is the largest woolens house in
the world.
Wolff is not native American. hav-,l
ing come from Hessen, Germany,
many years ago. He made q trip
back there last summer. and is plan
ming another at some future time,
which is as yet uncertain.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
He SOLD in time
Chas. Wierenga Quit Business
When Prices Were Lowered.
Started Again Last Year With
Agency for Three Cars.

1.-The wisest thing I ever did in my
business career was to sell my auto
mobile agency. in 1919, when every
one said I was a fool to SELL said
Charles Wierenga, of the Wierenga
Automobile agency. Nearly every
agency in town was following the pol
icy of expansion at that time, but I
figured that that was the peak of
high prices and everything was going
to tumble very shortly. So when I
saw a chance to get from under by
selling I took it. and 1 found L did
exactly the right thing. There are
only half the number of dealers now
that there were two years ago. and the
reason is that they expanded during
high prices, instead of waiting for
them to fall"
VVierenga. before he started into the
automobile business, in a earnest, had
worked at the state house, but for
long while he sold used cars. as side
line. In 1915 he went into the bust
ness definitely. taking the agency OF
the Maxwell. He kept this agency I'M
til 1918, when he gave it up to take
up the Overland In 1919, he sold
out to another company.
He had had a taste of the business
and could not keep out, so year later
he started out again on a small scale,
selling new and used cars. In June
of 1921 he expanded and took on the
Nash, and a little later the Chevrolet.
Last February, he took the agency for
the Durant, a new car, which has been
built only one and a half years.
Wierenga is very enthusiastic over
the Durant, and says that he feels it
is one of the really high class cars
manufactured in America 1t is built
by W. c. Durant. He is now building
the Starr automobile, which will sell
at the same price as the Ford. The
first one will probably be in Topeka in
about two months.
He started on a shoestring, he. said,
He had a corner of the West Motor
company and was his own entire force.
Now he has his own building, with
eleven employees. His sales average a
car day. The first half of the
month, the agency sold twenty-five
cars.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
A COFFEE STORE
Sellers & Sellers in Business
Here One Year.
Topeka Store Is One of a
Chain of $50.

Sellers & Sellers Coffee store was
opened a year ago. One front window
and a few feet back for counter space
was leased in Rabe Brothers Meat
market at 10 East Sixth avenue. and
the new concern was started under
the management @ L. r. Huffman
Huffman has had considerab, . expert
ence with the Sellers & Sellers stores,
having opened several in other cities,
before being sent here.
The Topeka store is one of chain
of over one hundred and fifty sim
liar esta bliShments- The system was
originated by F. E Sellers of Los An
geles- AS a rule only one of the stores
is put in one town. altho in several of
the larger towns, there are more than
one.
Coffee Is Always Fresh.
This system of stores is different
from any other retail coffee stores.
in as much as they install a coffee
rooster in the window. roasting the
coffee fresh hourly and grinding it
only as it is sold This insures the
customer that he always is getting it
fresh.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-25
HERE SINCE 1881
RehkOpf Bros. Represent 3 GEN
eratiOns of Vehicle Builders.
First Auto in Topeka Was As
sembIed in This Plant.

Rehkopf Brothers have been aes-
tablished in Topeka in the automobile
business for many years. and represent
the third generation of vehicle build
ers being the descendants of a family
of German carriage builders of the
same name, who came to this country
almost a century ago. H. L. Rehkopf,
father of the Rehkopf Brothers came
to Topeka locating in the building
which is now occupied by the Lux
Mercantile company. Three years later
he bought the building at 200 West
Sixth avenue. On his death in 1903
the partnership of five Rehkopf
Brothers was formed and the bust
ness is still carried on under that
name. Rehkopf Brothers have been
try from its early beginning. The first
automobile ever used in Topeka, that
famous vehicle which was built in To-
peka by Terry Stafford nearly a gem
Grafton ago was partly the product of
Rehkopf Brothers shop. they having
etc. From that time on this firm
gradually changed their industry
from that of vehicle building to strict
ly an automobile industry.
In 1915 the old quarters at 209
West Sixth avenue, having become
too restricted to handle the different
lines of automobile activities which
this firm was then engaged in, they
bought the site of the old Love &
Cook livery stable at 212-214 West
Sixth avenue an built that year one
of the finest buildings on West Sixth
being fifty-foot front with four floors
of brick and stone construction. This
was at that time and is today one OF
the most modern automobile estab-
in the state. This firm has
never sold new cars, but have been
distributors for many years for the
Republic truck. and manufacturing
bodies of all kinds.
Into the Jobbing Business.
In the last few years they have en-
tered somewhat into the jobbing and
of the industry and are at this time
not only distributors for Republic
trucks and Brunswick tires but within
the last year they have taken on the
state distributorship for the Marvel
Non-Liquid battery and the Twin Fire
Spark. plug. The old building at 200
West Sixth avenue having been re-
modelled to furnish the office and sales
room for the two last named articles.