The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1922-02-24

From weekly wage of $3.50 to
volume of business closely approx
mating 100000 annually is something
of an achievement. 1t is, moreover,
the accomplishment of a well known
Mt Vernon man, r.. w. Pitkin. ="
I. The Banner representative in quest
of information and data touching bust
ness men and enterprises in Mt. Ver-
non called upon Mr.. Pitkin and from
him sought an explanation OF theesuc-
-cess that has come to. him in his busi-
ness life. Mr.. Pitkin modestly de-
clinedi to assert or to claim any credit
for himself; upon his own responsi.
bility, therefore, the writer ascribes
it, to the fact that Mr.. Pitkin has put
his own. personality and individuality
into the business, a thing that is nee.
'essary to make success Of any bust.
ness and particularly Of the grocery
business.
It may be possible to achieve con.
siderable success in some lines OF
merchandising, even il the owner OF
the business screens his own person
ality' behind the company's name, but
in the grocery business that is next to
Impossible. People who buy grocer
les like to know the man they are
buying from; they like to know what
he l6oks like, and the sort Of a mar
he is, on personal contact. That Is
why people are constantly. saying tina,
they buy their groceries. from Smith
or Jones, or Brown. They do not
as q rule, remark that they are buy
ing from the Family Market or thu
Bon, Ton grocery or the United Groc
cry, store. 'p
I MFR. lPitkin has realized and stfll re
alizess the truth ard force Of this rul
and he has put his own friendly per
sonality into his business with excel
lent SUCCESS. He has not only mad
his store friendly place to trade
but he has impressed upon the public
1 the fact that he. would very modestl
deny, that Mr., Pitkin is pleasan
gentleman with whom to trade.
i These facts have helped to max
the Pitkin business success. bu
they are not alone. responsible. Othe
factors, have, entered into the growtl
and progress Of the business, just a
many factors are required to max
any other grocery store success.
A great many one-faculty men ge
4 into the grocery business, 'assuminI
that their one great forte will enabl
them to put the business over into !,
great success. A man may be goo,
salesman, or good buyer, or goo,
handler of men, or good manager O
q store, and yet not succeed at tn
Igrocery business, because the busi
4 ness is one that requires very gen
eral mixture of all these desirable
and useful business traits. Mr.. Pti
kin, 1t may be said, seems to hav
them.
Mr.. Pitkin probably would den.
there has been anything romantic D
anything even particularly interesting
IOrsout OF the ordinary in his businas
llifese But 1t may be, too, that his me
desty causes. him to misjudge and t,
underestimate the things he has done
/ Leaving the Mt. Vernon High schoo
in his Junior year he made his frs
adventure into the world of busines
and trade In Mansfield where he sc
cured employment with Haroon & ca
at the munificent wage of s250 pc
week, a scale Of pay that many boy
OF that age until recently would hay
contemptuously spurned even had l
been $3.50 per day instead Of pc
week. But the boy Pitkin took it ant