Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-10-29
Birthplace ON Site of Hartford Fire
Station

chain store system in the world, the
FOUNDERS name is memorialized for
posterfty in the city of his birth by
the Hartford fire station. The land
on which the Capital City's modern
ana intellectually beautiful central
IRE station IL located was gift to
the city Of George l.. Hartford for
the. heirs of the late George Hunt
ington Hartford. On that site stood
the Hartford House." which was
the paternal home of the founder Of
the "A. & p" system. The rooming
house. which was familiar to the
present generation of Augusta citi-
zens, had OF course been several
times altered and remodeled since
1t had been occupied by the Hart
fords. .
First Red Front in New York
The visionary young man from
Augusta, who was destined to be-
come the greatest of all Americas
merchant princes. opened his first
store, a small tea and coffee shop,
at Veasey and Church streets, New
York. In 1850. There we're two
striking things about the store, one
wa3 the mouth filling name. 1.-THE
Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Com
pany," and the other was n partic-
ularly brilliant shade Of red paint
with which the front of the store
was decorated. He introduced the
system Of dealing strictly for cash.
The growth of the concern was
steady but slow. As soon as the
first store got on its feet others were
established. The first "a. and p"
store in Boston was opened at 81
Court street. 81 years ago.
Mr.. Hartford's reason for naming
his concern 1.-The Great Atlantic and
Pacific Tea Company" was due to
the fact that about the time he
started the railway construction
linking the Atlantic with the Pacific
had just been put through.
Had a Horror OF Publicity
Mr.. Hartford had q horror OF pub
licity. Although for years one OF the
great millionaires OF the country his
life was passed almost In seclusion.
Few employees of the company ever
saw him.
Wall street and the financial world
never knew him. He had vast
amounts Of cash from his own bust
ness and did not need to borrow
money. Indeed 1t Is only in the last
few years that the financial world
W1KcU up To VIC ttSiiiOhuo"S c"S'
ness done by the "A. and p
Left the Stock to Own Family
The Wall street began to look
around to see how it could get into
this money making affair. Even
Henry Ford had been obliged to nm
ance himself by sales OF stock. But
wall street soon found the A. & p
was n closed corpora ton. Mr.. Hart
ford owned all the stock and he was
in no mood TO let any Of II getaway
from him.
When George Huntington Hartford
died eight years ago he left all ms
"a. & p" stock holdings to his fam
ilv. Just six persons now own the
CORPORATION which makes millions
each year. -.
John A. Hartford OF New York. his
son. As wears old. is now the princl.
mi stakeholder. The father provided
in his will that the stock should not
pass out of the family. .,
There il an issue OF preferred
stock, having no voting power. which
ia held chiefly by the employees OF the
company Even the preferred STOCK
is not listed on any stock exchange'
Originated the Premium system
For about n dozen years the "A. y
coffee. Mr.. Hartford was an trgeni-
ous salesman as we'll as a good fin.
ancier and for years the "A. Il /.
stores had a long list OF premium
schemes to stimulate buying. 1t was
the first store to put out a premium
system. This was kept up for years
until finally the business grew TOO
hig 70 continue premiums and prizes.
FOR wears the "a. e. T." stores. al
tbourh the pioneers in the chain
store business, were little known IN
the country at large. MIR. Hartford
raf,,sed to 60 into debt to start new
stores. and not until enough pron.s
we're in hand to finance the deai Vlo
he start a new store. For TINS rev
son. few people realize that the "A 4
r." stores were started oeiore 'ne
civil war. o....;l.
Each "a. & p" store today is an
.xa"t copy. as far as outward ap-
nearonce is concerned. of the nrst
New York store started by Mr.. Hart
ford Even the exact shade OF MS
f,rst rod paint has been banded down.
Incidentally. Mr.. Hartford once
that he had received more criticism
ohn,,t the glaring red paint used for
ths front OF his stores than anything
eise and this made him only more
determined to stick to the red paint.
sixty ave years ago. the largest
crocerv house In the WoSld was out
en- idea in the mind Of It's FOUNDER
the late George II. Hartford.
Gigantic Sales
This impressive comparison SHOWS
,.,vidiv the immense tonnage whlch
nasses through the stores to the pub
liz in the course Of year; an, oon
Coffee sales amount to o'.WU,' ~
romnds. which would require ira,
,osd Of l.116 freight cars: elgn'
miles fong, to transport TINS coni-
modify. - r,o,,d
make 225 ZOO, 900 gallons. which. II
niaced in a gigantic cup wou1H ue
sufiicient to submerge the Hrea'
Rock Of Gibraltar A..
pr,terrsold in one year In the A:
T. p stores would require a nero ..
S5O CCD dairy cows to produce 'his
amount Of butter. 70
the 40 OOO, 900 dozen eggs sold. u
r,.ced In a crate would REQUIRE
tnx sufficiently large to be used as
hangar for the giant airsnip she'""
oo Tn one year. the -four sales OF
90N O(O. 600 pounds would reQu.re
:ssl0 Ave ton motor trucks 10 ea"s-
po r,x .n' .aies amount to $4,000, GOO
tn = year. which would require a feet
of 400 large ships to transport 'i''S
am potato ;ales OF so4, oO0, 900 pounds
vo,,Id an a barrel as high as the