San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-07
FIFTY YEARS OF
MERCHANDISING HERE
CONTINUED From Page 1-B.)

IL stdTtlcu. MANY tllueS nave seen
our now beautiful Alamo Plaza, a
foot deep in mud and muck with great
ruts where the freight wagons cut
deep. Again, have / seen this same
plaza in very dry seasons, almost as
deep in dust ground to a powdery
fineness by the wheels of these same
wagons. When a norther would blow,
this dust would go into the air in
great clouds SO that one could scarce
1y see to walk. AS for our homes and
stores-they were literally covered in
side and out, with coating of dust.
The excellent paved highways of to-
day that lead into our city from all
points, would indeed startle the team
sters of so years ago. Literally there
were no roads then. 1t was all open
country-just prairie. The wagon
] trains would follow a trail until it
was cut too deep with ruts. Then
some enterprising wagon master would
strike out boldly on new line and the
wagons would follow him until the
n same performance was repeated anu
so on. Cowboys and others just rode
\ into town from any angle they chose.
\ There were no fences to stop them.
They just struck across country when
n they wanted to go somewhere and
II route, crossing hills and streams with
II out ceremony.
. just a Pioneer Town.
'Tn San Antonio, we had no tower
ing office buildings, street cars, and
other improvements of today. Mer-
n chandising was just as crude as other
n conditions. Our trade was good deal
n of government trade, such as clerks.
officers and their wives, and as our
part of the city was almost entirely
n inhabited by American Irish and
n, American Germans, our trade was
Il largely with them too. They were
Y good people, met their obligations and
4 were faithful customers, in fact, they
4 were all friends and this was the be-
4 ginning of our real business.
n I'VE were the first store that put
"a pennies in circulation here and it was
greatly opposed by the retail grocery
people. One man in the retail grocery
4 business came to our store and said
You are going to be, run out of town,
every grocery merchant is opposed to
pennies
I'VE were the first dry goods house
that put delivery wagon on the
streets Of San Antonio. The delivery
"a wagon was made by Stephen Seffel
and it was a good one. That wagon
lasted US for more than ten years. We
bought two bay horses, very fine
Missouri horses, and they cost us $3.50,
(which was a very big price in those
days. d. Heyc made the set of harness
for them which also lasted long. long
time. Ed Seffel was the sign painter.
and our symbol was a star with j. h.
in the center, just as it is today. The
unusual thing about this is that the
fdescendants of the men who did this
tness today. Harness maker, black
smith and sign painter.
The Customers "kicked."
Eve were the first to install &
cash carrier system. The Lamson cash
carrier system. We also employed the
first cashier>and our first cashier was
Miss Eda 'Hoyer, now Mrs. DIR. Camp
bell. Before that, every clerk who sold
goods, wrapped up his own goods and
made change. When we inaugurated
oundle wrapping it was received with
considerable opposition and ! remem-
Der very we'll, an old lady saying that
slse would not come to our store TO
buy goods any more as she had to
wait too long for her package. She
Traded her until she died and her dc
scendants still buy from Joske's. :.
"In the early days before the rail
roads reached San Antonio we re-
tcived our merchandise by freighting.
First, from Kingsbury, afterwards
from Luling. ] don't know how many
lays it took freight to come from New
1ork to Kingsbury, but l do know
that It frequently took. especially in
Rainy weather, from one week TO ten
Gays to get freight from KiDgsbury TO
,an Antonio. Yes, one winter II
fained almost continually for six
Weeks and our freighters got only as
}ar as the Salado creek. but could not
ross on account of high water and
lso on account of the terrible condi-
ion of the roads. All the merchants
ad their fall and Christmas goods
nut there on the Salado and as last
kesort. they sent the chihuahua train
.f Froboese & Santleben to bring them
Ia. Just a week before Christmas,
lie received our merchandise. The de-
pendants of Mr.. Froboese and Mr.
Santleben are still living in San An
bnio."
Believes In Advertising.
In the pioneer days, it was only
question of freighting in the goods ant
etailing them at profit. But as, the
f)Wn COnlluutu W SioWs many oshNA
iores entered the field and competi.
ION became keen. With the passing
rom the business of Mr.. Jokes
-ather, the store became Joske
rothers. Later when it was incor-
sorated it became Joske Brothers
company, its present name.
Mr.. Joske said the first store, did
sot remain long on Austin road as
Bout six months after opening there,
lie store was removed to Alamo Plaza
small building located about
there Frank Brothers clothing. store
now located. In this location II
zmained for ten years when 1t then
cas moved to a new two-story struc-
re on the present site and it has
len in this location ever since. This
Bidding did not occupy the full lot
BID other adjoining real estate was
@ught at various times until the full
'operty now occupied was acquired
Always a firm believer in honest
Ivertising and especially newspaper
vArtising, Alexander Joske through
his long career devoted much at
sntion to that phase of his business
is proud of the fact that he pub
he'd the first full page newspaper
49,