San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-15
BUSINESS OF MARTIN LINEN
SUPPLY COMPANY INCREASES
MORE THAN $4,000 MONTH
Begins Work of Supplying Linens With Plant in
"Hole in the WalP' and With Capital of $30O0
Today Capital Is $4,000 and Plant Up-to-
date-Has Five Branch Plants Outside
of San Antonio.

One driving on Roosevelt Avenue
is attracted, some twenty blocks out,
by what at first sight, appears some
what like mansion of older days.
1t is spacious, painted white and sets
back about 80 yards from the street
in a clump of large pecan trees. A
green lawn surrounds the house. Large
concrete posts and huge hedge sep
arate the plot of ground from the
street. One reads the sign over the
main entrance, which tells that this
is the home of the Martin Linen Sup
ply company. But person must
have strong belief in signs or he
nigh declare that some "dizzy" sign
man got his numbers mixed.
Mr.. Martin moved to San Antonio
from Kansas City. Mo-, in 1909 he
and his older son, Il. {. Martin, Or
ganized the Martin Linen Supply com
pany with capitalization OF $4,000.
Their place of business was a mere
hole-in-the-wall in the downtown sec
ton Of the city. They had enough
room TO turn around in and that was
about all. A horse and wagon was
used to deliver and Mr.. Martin and
his son did all the work at the of
lice.
A $4,000 Capital.
In spite Of the many obstacles that
the firm has had to overcome, it
gradually has forged forward until
now it is incorporated for $4,000,
does a business oil over $4,000
month, and operates five branch
plants outside of San Antonio. These
branches are located in Austin. Waco,
Temple, Corsicana and Wichita Falls.
-Four spick and span trucks, with
bodies especially arranged for the
linen supply business are kept busy
supplying more than $500 customers.
Mr.. Martin states that to make
success Of any line of business re-
quires the overcoming of obstacles
and the knack of doing the right things
at the right time, but it seems that
in linen supply, there are even more
difficulties 10 overcome than in the
average industry. In the first place
there was much educational work TO
be done, especially back 10 or ID years
ago, because people were slow TO real
ize the value Of clean sanitary linen
about the office and factory.
Service Gets Business.
The Martin Linen Supply company
buys cloth in large quantities with its
name woven in it. 1t makes its own
towels, napkins and other supplies.
There are three power machines busy
in the main plant making up the
linen. and one machine each is OPP
Grated in the branch plants. This re
duccs the cost of linen considerably
Mr.. Martin declares.
One reason FOR the growth of the
Martins firm is that the service has
been made unusually complete. The
towel supply to offices and profes-
sional men is an important end of
the business, but every possible sales
source, in addition to that is culti-
waited.
There is a big patronage of the con-
GERMS apron supply department. Hum
dreds of aprons are supplied daily
TO grocers, clerks, bakers. butchers,
candy makers and to others in work
that requires cleanliness and fresh
ness continuously.
Another line that has been develop
cd comparatively recently by the Mar