The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-12-31
BUSINESS IN CITY IS
sure TO Be GOOD IN
VIEW Of STABILITY
Fixed PayroiIs Here Assure
Steady Trade at Home, Say
Optimistic Merchants

Optimistic Merchants
Business in Bismarck has not been
So good as desired over the holiday
season, but that, one gathers from
talks with merchants. Is, as Rudyard
Kipling would say. another story. For
the year 1929 merchants admit bust
ness was very good on the average.
How could it be otherwise? IS the
arugment with which skepticlsm is
met. There is a state pay roll here,
q good railroad payroll and other
steady sources OF income. This inn
plies steady business on which the
city can thrive. The trading terri
tory adjacent to the city Is its great
wholesale area. and wholesale busl-
ness here rolled up a total OF approsl-
mately $4,000. 900 in 1929. II also IS
a good retail territory and up TO re-
Gently, when winter set in rather
strenuously and rendered roads i'm
passible, the retail trade was III good
volume. according to merchants.
In other words, business in Bis
marck has not yet been able to Gre
ate pessinists. The totals OF 1929
would make any mar an optlmltst
and keep him that.
Looking Forward to Spring
Merchants are looking forward to
spring trade. They admit there may
be a recession Immediately after ew
Year. There always IS. II is the
same the country over. In the East
it is the time when the big stores be-
gin to put on their seasonal special
sales. The papers fill with ads Of the
big white sales" and SO on. N aft
er the other. until the spring opening
season set in.
SO a Tribune representative found
a variety OF statements when he can
vassed the stores Of the city. but III
ono feature there was no deviation.
and that was that 1929 had been a
good year and there was no reason
to fear 1880 would in the end prove
otherwise. perhaps even n better year.
Favorable Factor
It was simply a case OF waiting for
the tide to turn. when improving
road conditions and accommodating
needs should combine to start a nor
NAL buying movement, perhaps more
than a normal movement because OF
recent abstinence Of buying. There
will be such favorable factors, for In
stance as the North Dakota Power
and Light company spending $l.OO8.-
600 on improvements and the erec-
ton Of the community building.
A. w. Mundy of the Lucas store. IS
hopeful that trade will be thoroughly
normal by spring. The bad spots. he
commented, have been when winter
closed the roads and made farmers
visits to the city a hardship. Some
also did not raise good crops. He was
especially optimistic because his
friend Colonel C. B. Little on return
ing from the East brought an optim-
istic message. This Was that there
vas not really going to be a let up
in business. It was recovering its
swing, and soon a reservoir Of capital
Ia to be let loose when the utility
corporations. the railroads and the
automobile plants start on their big
industrial programs.
Where Trade Is Steady
q. "A. Foster. of the BURG store, said
that establishment has had a good
year. q better one than 1928, and the
outlook still is good. He said his
place was not even hit by the Christ
mas slump which reduced sales in
comparison with previous years in
some este blisllments. He ascribed
THO uniform character OF the sales TO
the nature Of the merchandise hand
led by the store. He was very Optim-
istic for the new year.
Ray Bergcson said the Bcrgcson
store derives its main patronage from
city sources. The constant pay rolls
Of the city. therefore. tend to create
a uniform state Of business. As a
consequence the past year has been a
fine one. Christmas being no exeep-
ton. He had no reason TO expect a
change after the nc" year opens
There will be no let up. he said he
felt.
At the Penney store. where Man
ager Refvem had left the city for a
few days, business has been good
over the holidays, as well rs in the
earlier part of the year. In fact the
Penney store business has been such
that new quarters with more floor
space has become q necessity that Is
to be accommodated in the spring
with the building of the new three
story building for it on the old site
Of Harris and Woodmansec.
All Sec Average Year
W. II. Webb. of Webb Brothers
looks for an average year when the
books r closed on the business OF
1880. He does not. however, look fol
d steady volume. There will be better
buying periods and some slack ones
ssThe fact must be noted" he said
sthat nobody has lost his job. People
will buy, If not today, then tomorrow
Spring will probably e full restora.
ton Of business. As to the holiday
trade, we did better this year thar
last"
J. G. Taylor, district manager o.
the international Harvester company
also looks for the year to average ur
when the cycle Of IL months has beer
completed. Likewise he looks for q
revival in the spring. There r just
sufficient farmers who have tied ur
their grain to cause q temporary halt
in biz scale business such as the har.
yester company conducts. When these
crops are brought out of storage and
marketed. in his opinion, the tide Of
trade will flow on again. It should
81 ! very GOOD year, he feels. Any.
how. the biz machinery organizations
have had the best years in their ex.
perience. he says, according to the re-