The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-07-13
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GeNG
WE CAN LOOK AHEAD
AFTER LOOKING BACK
BIZ VICTOR MEEklNS

If one would plan anything new
and worth while, he must look back
first TO get insight and inspiration.
The further one looks back, the
further into the future he can see.
Many a man has failed however,
by being too far ahead of his times
and investing too heavily too soon.
We often hear it said that che lived
ahead of his times" in referring
to some person who never lived to
see his dreams materialize.
In many instances failure is
made because someone with a
good idea, lacked the ability or
the determination to follow
through against any and all dis
couragements and hardships. On
the other hand, many people have
carried small projects through to
great success, by growing along
with the business, learning all
there is to know from the accumu-
lated knowledge and experience of
several years of keeping the nose
to the grindstone.
1 remember as small boy, Car
son W. Davis of Manteo, after sew
eral years as a salesman in the
general store of the community,
decided to go into business for
himself with the completely new
plan of running store that would
sell only clothing and dry-goods
and shoes. Failure for the venture
was predicted by many of the old
timers, who said that people would
not trade in a store that did not
sell everything. They had always
thought of stores as being like the
three principal stores in this town
for many years, which sold some
of nearly everything, including
hardware, furniture, farm nipple
ments and fishermen's supplies.
But Mr.. Davis, being mar
of energy, merchandising knowl.
edge and sterling business quail
ties, proved that the time had come
for his venture, when he applied
his various attributes toward max
ing it go. He has enjoyed nearly
a half century of success with the
business that many people sale
would not succeed. His was the
first of several similar projects.
1 remember when Claude Duval
and Carson Greet decided that tn
time was ripe to start new hote
in Manteo, and again the OLE
timers said the Fort Raleigh hotel
being built some distance up tow
and away from the water, woul'
never succeed. They said peopi'
would not stop in a hotel SO ia
from the harbor, and where the,
could not look out from their room
and see the water. They overlooke'
the fact that the water had lonl
been shut off from the hotels vie,
by other buildings. The Fort Ra
leigh hotel is running now, sue
cessful enterprise, and it got tn
trade from the day it opened.
Hardly, % years ago, the build
ers of the new Mays Header Hote
Brack Dawson and others of Eliz
abeth City announced they wer
going to put bath tubs in it. Man
of the old timers said it wouldn
pay. They said people came
Mays Head to rough it. The
didn't want bath tubs, and wouldn
pay the extra price. They sal
people didn't care about the kin
of building they stayed in, ju:
so the food was good and the
were allowed to wear old clotht
and go barefooted. George ar
Clarence Culpepper today woul
tell you they wouldn't have tt
hotel if it didn't have baths, ar
they are maintaining it as one I
the most popular on the coas
Since the Mays Header was bull
there hasn't been another hot
built on the beach without bat