Milford chronicle., 1926-04-02
BURY CLOTHING FIRM
CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY

Staring Friday, March 18th, Ken
nerly & Mitchell, the big gents fur-
nishing and ladies' wearing goods
store, put on a special sale commem-
Grating the anniversary OF the thlr-
tieth wear the firm has been in busi-
ness in Salisbury. The sale itself VIII |
he an unusual one with many new |
and special features and will be on |
a scale big enough to do honor to |
the occasion which it is Zhe mark Oh.
It is not with the sale--though of
enough importance in itself to Justl-
fy a real live news story-that we
are mainly concerned with; but the
history of this business which from
the smallest of beginnings has grown
to be one of the largest and most I'M
portant of it's kind on the entire Del
Mar-Va Peninsula.
Some thirty years ago two young
men-sons of farmers and with Dut
little business or mercantile expert
ence-got together, and Jumping
their small and entirely inadequate
capital started in the gents furnish
ing line. The two young men were
the late B. Frank Kennerly, later a
Mayor of Salisbury, and interested IN
other civic and business matters, and
Edward D. Mitchell, head of the firm
today. a director in the Eastern
Shore Trust Company, member OF
the firm of Insley & Mitchell, can
ners, member of the hardware firm
of Mitchell & Goslee, an eX-presldenC
of the Chamber of Commerce, and
active in many business and civic
circles.
The two young men acquired
lease on the Main street property OF
Miss Hannah White and commenced
business. In a world where the stat
istics are so strong against the sue
cess of new firms, these two COM
menced to build up. They did most
of their own work, kept their own
books, laid in as big a supply of mer-
chandise as their capital would per-
nit, practiced economy and gave
their business the most careful at
tention. When a (customer came in
they tried to make him regular one
they saw he went away satisfied
both with his purchase and his treat
ment.
They commenced to grow and as
they grew they expanded giving a
wider selection in stock and keeping
I'm the treatment of their customers.
In 1908. they brought another young
man in their organization-Mr. Chas.
w. Bennett, who became a junior
member, Mr.. Kennerly retiring to
take charge of the new firm he had
organized, the Kennerly-Shockley
Company, today the large depart
ment store of J. E. Shockley Co.
In 1910, they purchased the build
ing of Miss White and enlarged their
floor space. Under the management
of Mr.. Mitchell with Mr.. Bennett, the
firm continued it's steady progress
and in 1917 and 1918, built the large
and commodious daylight store IN
which it today is doing business.
-Four years ago it added the Ladies
Wearing Apparel, ETC., to its line
using it's big bright rooms upstairs
for this purpose and putting IN an
elevator for the accommodation OF
the trade. The store is thoroughly
eouipped in every way with every
known up-to-date equipment that
will render service to the trade, ana
make the large business able to be
handled in a business like manner.
Mr.. w. DenWood Mitchell, son OF
the founder, Mr.. E. D. Mitchell, mas
been connected with the firm tor
years and adds to it's success in
manv ways. He is we'll known in So
cial and business circles and having
grown I'D in the business, knows II
from all phases.
IT is men of the caliber of the two
Mitchells, father and son, and MI
Bennett that has brought SALISBURY
to the front in the mercantile heId
and held it there. These men nave
not waited until necessity demanded
that they meet new conditions, DuC
have anticipated the future. Ahey
have always been ahead of the times
and not behind. -,
Salisbury is a progressive city, NIL
ed with progressive men and OF these
the members of this firm take hlgh
rank. BY hard work, courteous ana
honest treatment they have made 1or
themselves a leading place IN our
business world-and they have done
SO with many things against them.
Thirty years of continuous business
on the same site, but with much
greater facilities, with many times
the original floor space-thirty years
of steady growth-thirty years OF
not only growing business but a
growing reputation-it is a record
we'll worth commenting upon.