PLAN No. 298. A LOSING GROCERY BUSINESS MADE A SUCCESS
Near a good-sized Texas town a man and his wife were trying to farm a piece of sun-baked land, and were making a failure of it, when the wife proposed that they start a small grocery. They had a few hundred dollars, and borrowed a little more, and with this they bought a small stock of groceries, but the growth of the business was so slow as to be disheartening.
On her way down to their store one afternoon the woman noticed that trade was brisk in those places that presented a cleanly appearance, and then she got busy. Together they scrubbed the floors, applied paint where it was needed, and began a general clean-up campaign that soon transformed the dingy little place into a most attractive store room. Pyramids of canned goods were erected in the show window, and everything tastefully arranged on counters and shelves to present the best possible appearance.
She had a number of jars of preserves, pickled fruits and vegetables they had put up while on the farm, and these she brought to the store, where they were quickly sold. She then put up more at their home, all of which were sold at a big profit. Then she baked cakes and brought them to the store, where they found a steady sale, which encouraged her to bake many more.
As a means of advertising their “clean grocery,” they labeled the collar of their dog and the net mesh that covered their delivery horse with catchy phrases, and soon had their place widely talked about.
Their business grew until they were obliged to move to a larger building, where they have the best trade in the town.