Show BIG COUNTRY MERCHANTS t. t R. R F. F Johnsons Johnson's Pumpkin Show at Grand Rapids Wisconsin I I T. T I By A. A B B. B Macdonald in Country Gentleman There are two streets full of I stores in Grand Rapids Wisconsin h. h f no nn o fo Liao- Liao r I 1 0 t h 11 S i at ers rs woul n 12 J. J tt u ul l gether It sells more more e th 1 million dollars dollars' dollars worth of of general merchandise a year This is the store of the Johnson Hill Com Company pan When R R. R F. F Johnson Johnson began business business business busi busi- ness in that town his store was as small as the smallest store there to today today today to- to day but from the very first his business grew and kept on growing through good times and bad He soon outstripped all aU those who were in business when he began Many of those stores are yet there the same little stores plodding along never neer advancing looking with envy upon Johnson as he moved from one store to another to get more room and at nt last building for himself a u astore store as big as some of the department department department depart depart- ment stores in the largest c cities Ues with three floors and continuous plate-glass plate windows round two sides of its first and second floors Doors and nd with nearly one hundred clerks Ask almost any of Johnsons Johnson's competitors competitors competitors com com- the reason for his success and he will tell teU you that Johnson Is the luckiest man that ever Lucky said one of these when he was asked that question Say that man Johnson is so lucky lucyy that if he fell into the river hed he'd come up with his pockets full of fish sh What has luck to do with it you ou ask Well Vell says says one he has the farmers farmerS' running after him Some Someway Someway Someway way or other the farmers round here think hes he's the only merchant worth while in Grand Rapids He can load up with almost any old stock and the farmers will come from Crom miles away to take tak it off his hands at big profits too Lucky y If I had his luck Id I'd bo bi In u a big store too Johnson knows well enough that luck had nothing at all to tD do Ito with it He lie is the sort of man who does docs not like to talk about himself and his success The only time a whale gets in trouble Is when he com comes a up to blow said Bald Johnson when uk asked cd to talk about his business There is one thing he be will talk about any time and that Is the agricultural agricultural agricultural agri agri- cultural fair he holds in his store each fall He Is proud of that fair Getting the tho Farmers Farmers' Trade There had never been a fair nt at Grand Rapids There is a big one each year at Marshfield twenty twenty six miles away and another at Stevens Stevena Point wo miles away Johnson Johnon John John- son aon on thought there should be one In InGrand inGrand Grand Rapids lie Ho tried to get one started He went to see the other merchants about it but the they could not see anything in In it Johnson Johnsona a pointed out that a fair was a good I thing Cor for the farmers of the community community com com- a at a fair they could meet f 1 1 n a n a ge- ge I t tho md- md tho o friendly competition competition competition com com- petition among them for tor prizes for farm produce would be fine in an ed educational educational educational ed- ed way The other merchants could not see seewhy seewhy why hy they should get out and do a alot alot alot lot of hard work and spend a lot of mone money to promote a sit show ow for a bunch of farmers to enjoy Johnson tried to convince them that the fall tall fairs in Marshfield and Stevens Point were attracting the farmers from the territory round Grand Rapids and if it they got into the habit of going to those other places naturally they would trade at the stores there I 1 dont don't get any farmers' farmers trade anyway I depend on the town trade said one of th the tho merchants and that seemed to be the opinion or ot all Johnsons Johnson's theory from the beginning beginning begin begin- ning was that If the number of oK stores in Grand Rapids should be cut down one-half one there would still be enough of them to take care of the towns town's needs He knew when A I he started in business that an any trade I he ho got from the town must of necessity necessity necessity sity be taken from other store stores and if he was to grow bigger than the theother theother theother other and older stores he must reach out beyond the town for the bigger trade of oC the farmers farmers He lie must create create create cre cre- ate a new trade trad territory for his store And that has been the chief reason for his great success There was no luck about itHe It Ho He He had worked out some ideas original In that town of what the tho trade of the farmers would mean to the store that could get it and of how he would go about getting it He lie knew that a great part of the trade of the farmers was going to the mall mail order mail order houses He studied the reason for this vast order mall business He drove out into the country and talked with farmers and their wives trying to fathom tho secret In the lure of the mail mall order catalogue He decided that it was largely the result of continues and clever advertising He sent for tho catalogues of all the order mail-order houses and he sat up at night to study themI them I decided that the only way for forme forme forme me to compete with the order mail-order houses was to apply theIr their own own methods methods meth meth- to my case he says sas It was no use for me to try and fight them and I never do that I never abuse them I never tell teU a man that he should not spend his money with order mall houses I try to convince him that he can buy from mo me just jus M u Continued on Page Page Two h TUG DIG COUNT COUNTRY Y MERCHANTS l Continued from tram Page One well and better I eI I saw that the order mail catalogues catalogues catalogues cata cata- were full of attractive pICtures pictures pic plc- tures cures of ot the merchandise they sold I Pretty girls in charming poses were w wearing the dresses they sold Their shoes were on pretty feet teet If It it was wasa a washing machine that was advertised advertised advertised adver adver- a child was operating it while the mother dressed In her best beat was I i It tin In a prizes won that year by any anyone one man was 70 Tho The next year 1916 he awarded prizes to seventysix seventy seventy- six different farmers Tho The third year there were exhibits and prizes were awarded to eighty different farmers Last year he awarded prizes to ninety different different differ differ- ent farmers The fair last year was the bestone best bestone bestone one o of all notwithstanding that a a. a g great neat many o of the young oung men from j the farms were a away way at war It was r in the second week in October The I mowers garden tOU tools oo s U MO luu bedding underwear a page of ot notions notions notions no no- no- no wall paper paint neckwear suits raincoats talking machines a page of at drugs kitchen cabinets a page of ot groceries rugs sewing machines machines machines ma ma- chines shoes crockery and several pages of ot things for women's wear The Big Dig Fall Fair Johnson malls this magazine to persons each month It goes out as far as forty and fifty miles wiles and people come from those distances distances dis dis- tance to trade In his store and in addition he does a large order mail-order business from the magazine The magazine costs from to a month according to size He is a wide advertiser in the local newspapers newspapers newspapers news news- papers too There rh re is no luck about that is there asked Joh Johnson son The reasons reasons reasons rea rea- sons for our big business are very simple It seems that anyone ought to be he able to figure it out that if a 1 catalogue filled with pictures and descrIptive descriptive descriptive de de- matter and prices will Induce In- In in induce duce people to buy by mall mail from tram Chicago then the same sort of an appeal would induce them to go toa toa to toa a store In their own neighborhood d dand and see what they are buying before beCore they pay for it Of course our merchandise merchandise merchandise mer mer- chandise and our prices must be right and they are That Is all there is to It Not quite all There Is the big fall fair Vh When n Johnson found that he could not arouse Interest enough among business men to have a regular regular regular reg reg- reg- reg ular fair in Grand Rapids such as was held in Marshfield and In Stevens Stevens Stevens Stev Stev- ens Point he ho decided to have a fair of his own He started it five years ago and it has been growing bigger every year since then He calls it the Farmers Produce Fair It Is held in the basement of at the etore store which Is feet square It Jilt was hard to Interest the farmers farmers farmers farm farm- ers at first but now they are enthusiastic enthusiastic elastic about It and are as pleased when they win a cash prize or a blue ribbon as a boy with a new pair of t topped red-topped boots says sas Johnson In the first fair air held in his store in 1915 Johnson awarded ninety- ninety one prizes s to two forty different farmers some of them winning several several sev sev- eral prizes The largest amount in l w If a balcony where a woman I sit and look out over the first or of the store ake alke off your our wraps and feel at atthe 5 is the motto of or the restI reste rest lest I t I I he e a clerk in Johnson Johnsons s store Eton I must have the knack ol ot win win- t he confidence of country folks rous ar are trained to this end in ling classes which are tal by ison earner eather o of course influences the cr of people people- a d t it 1 tJ h J r a of clerks s came to the class with I looking ray faces After they all seated Johnson Johnso began his lesson Good morning Have you all 11 smiled d this morning This brought out the smile he was after right he continued Always Always Always Al ways begin every day with a smile Some one has said that if you keep smiling until ten o'clock in the morning the rest of the day will wUl take care of at itself This is about the ideal kind of at a morning to practice the smiling game The darker the morning the more the need for smil- smil goods wh the su sun Is shining than when the weather r is gloomy Also Continued on Page Five BIG COUNTRY MERCHANTS J Continued from Page Two It Is easier to sell seU goods when there are crowds in the store and business Is 11 good than when business is poor The average farmer has a lon lonesome lone lone- some time of it compared to yours I He e spends most of his time out In Inthe Inthe inthe the field alone His wife spends most of her time in the house When ne eT When they come to town they want to meet smiling people and If every clerk in this store would be always tempered sweet always natured good always anxious to please and to help always courte courte- ous and smiling it wouldn't be a year until every farmer and every farmers farmer's wife In this end of the county as soon as they began to get i lonesome and blue would hitch up the old flivver and drive In Smile Awhile that's Awhile that's a great song but Smile all the time is better I 1 want this store to be known as the glad store Having made this good beginning Johnson switches off of to the real lesson lesson lesson les les- les- les son of the day which is on the value of a clerks clerk's knowing all about the things he or she has to sell seIt How often you hear a customer ask a clerk Will this fade No says the clerk Why Well Its It's guaranteed not to fade How much better if the clerk could tell Just why It would not fade Now suppose a woman comes Inand in inand inand and asks for poplin as they o often ten tendo do Not one person in ten thousand knows anything about poplin where it Is made why it Is corded what goes into it It what it is most used for You know all that so while you are showing the bolt of poplin to the he customer you explain that itIs itis It ItIs Is made by weaving a weft of worsted worst worst- ed yarn into a warp of silk the worsted yarn being thicker than the silk gives t the e poplin that corded appearance You must be able to tell her too tuo why they will not shrink whether they will fade or not and why Make a study of the goods you sell soll learn all about them and you will sell ll many more Farmers are buying better goods than they used to to says Johnson There was a time when they liked cheap things and many storekeepers ers do not realize that we have passed passed passed pass pass- ed out of that I period and are arc In a anew anew anew new time Now the farmer wants the best I mean the avert average ge well- well to-do to farmer who reads the papers i i and magazines That kind of a farmer pays thirty dollars for a suit of clothes now nou and eight dollars doUar or LU tu n dollars for lf a pair p of Sunday shies I He has learned that goods advertised advertised ad ad- in the best m ga magazines lne can be be depended on and he buys them without further question For lor that reason it does not take so much ef effort effort effort ef- ef fort to sell articles of standard make and reputation advertised in the magazines Many farmers wont won't buy a suit of clothes except t t f f the kind advertised so extensively in the magazines And it Is the same game way with women we have many of them come in for corsets and other articles articles articles arti arti- cles to wear and they will wUl not look at anything that they have not seen advertised If a country merchant just going into business should come to you and ask advice about how to succeed succeed succeed suc suc- what would you say was ask ask- ed of Johnson With Without ut hesitation he answered I would ask him if It was not a fact that the tl order order ll-order houses did more business In his territory than any local store Usually the order mail houses do more business than all the local stores especially In communities com om- communities com com- where the merchants do donot donot donot not advertise much Then I 1 would say to him Study the methods of the mail mail- order houses and you will find out that shrewd persistent attractive truthful advertising Is the secret of their success All you have to do to succeed in the same field is to do dothe dothe the tho same things they do advertise Inthe in inthe inthe the same clever persistent way back backup backup backup up your with the right kind of merchandise and keep smiling smil smil- ing Why They Trade at Johnsons Johnson's Put on an appearance of cheerfulness cheerfulness cheer cheer- anyway whether you feel that way or not You will find that if you look pleasant on the outside It will surely sink In In-a In and in-and and d the first thing you know the blues have haye gone and you are smiling all through This smiling game is an asset asset It it is worth money to a man who sells things for lor a living It Is a prime secret of success Finally be fair with everyone who comes into your store Do all these simple little little little lit lit- tle things and you will get on Saturday Is the big day for lor farmers farmers farmers farm farm- ers In the Johnson store Then the rocking-chairs rocking in the rest room on the balcony are filled with happy- happy looking women all facing one way as they rock back and forth and gossip they are arc all looking out over the tho wide main floor and watching the crowds streaming through the tho aisles In the crowd down there on the floor are farmers and their wives who have come all distances up to thirty miles to do their Saturday trading at this store I You select a man and wife who are looking over a pile pUe of blue overalls over over- aIls alls on a counter The man straightens straight straight- I ens up as you ask him Just out of curiosity Id I'd like to ask y u how far your place Is from town We live out beyond Bothel |