The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-12-04
TRADING AT HOME


One of the most active and best busl-
ness places of the smaller towns OF North
Carolina is Albemarle AS a trading cen
fer it shows every evidence of standing IN
the forefront. That fact makes this COM
ment from the Albemarle News-Press OF
particular interest in considering the mat
ter of fostering and developing small town
business:
"Some years ago we came to the conclusion that
appeals to the people of Albemarle and Staniy
county to trade at home in order to keep business
at home. were wellnigh useless. In fact there
have been times when we felt that such appeals
actually started others to visiting nearby cltleS
because so much was said about trading at home
that they became convinced that everybody was
trading in Charlotte. Salisbury, or Greensboro
and so they decided to pay visit to these other
places We have discussed the matter with some
merchants, and they are likewise convinced that
trading at home depends largely on the merchant
himself With this idea in mind Albemarle mer-
chants have set out to make this Christmas season
a strade-at-home' one. and they have bought mer-
chandise to meet the demands of local trade, and
they are advertising this merchandise widely"
The foregoing is published for what it
is worth to readers of The Times-News
among local business men. Reading many
newspapers, as we do in this office, we
find that the opinions voiced by The News
Press are becoming common throughout
the country in the smaller communities.
Small town business men are coming to
the conclusion that patriotic trade-at-home
appeals do not accomplish much in meet
ing the competition of the larger trading
centers The small town merchant, to the
limit of his capital and other equipment
for doing business must meet the competl-
ton of the cities by offering business in
ducements to trade at home. ....
Small town merchants must stock up, in
so far as they are able, with seasonable
and saleable merchandise; must apply
sound principles of craftsmanship and bust
ness and advertising, and, in large meas
ure, leave the results to the trading public
1t is true that some people have no pub
lie spirit, no community pride and no sense
of obligation to the community of which
they are citizens. People of that class are
quite willing to make their money in the
community where they reside and spend
it elsewhere; but The Times-News believes
that the large majority of the people, for
example, of HenderSonville and this towns
natural trade territory, will give the pref
erence to Hendersonville as their trading
center. If they some times buy elsewhere
it is in cases where there are good reasons
for doing so. .. ... a.. ~.
AS a rule, the thousands of people of the
community and the surrounding territory
who buy here find Hendersonville a salts
factory trading center The very much
smaller number of people who go else
where to do their buying should give the
home town chance to serve them and
supply their needs.
Local merchants, however, as in the case
of the merchants of Albemarle and all
other small towns, must make their, ap-
peal to the buying public by offering the
merchandise the public wants; prices must
be right, and each individual business must
be adequately and consistently advertised
Business appeals will prove more effective
than appeals to sentiment. , ..
Christmas is less than three weeks off
That is a very short period in which to gel
a large volume of holiday trading done
The next move is up to the people. Hen
Jacksonville offers the people of this com
munity and the trading area attractiv,
Buy-at-Home opportunities this season