Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Marion Bargain Days- 1931

With the promoting of small business days coming soon, let's look back at a few of Marion's Bargain Days that was created in 1931 to promote some of the town's businesses.  Marion's main street from East Bellville for two blocks were once filled with many different kinds of stores.

They were looking for large crowds of shoppers to invade the stores during the three day community sale.  Shoppers were advised to come early tht they might partake of the many values. 

Taylor and Cannon located in the Masonic build on the corner of Main and Bellville Streets, was one of the county's best known dry good stores.  (Later this store would become Hunt's Department Store.)

All three member of the firm, Gus Taylor, C. W. Lamb and J. Doyle Vaughn are Masons. Mr. Taylor, the senior member of the firm has been in the dry goods business in Marion for the past thirty years and was in business my himself at the beginning. His store has always been located in the same block and since the construction of the present Masonic temple after the destructive fire of 1905, the Taylor store has occupied the same building.

For seventeen years Mr. Taylor had for his partner, W. D. Cannan. In 1918, after Mr. Cannan disposed of is interest, C. A. Taylor became a member of the firm and the business was operated as Taylor and Taylor.
In 1924 the present firm was organized. All three devote their full time to the business. Miss Louise Love is employed as clerk. The store prides itself on the high quality of material sold, which includes dry goods, shoes, ladies, ready-to-wear and men's furnishings.

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                                   Yandell and Gugenheim is Oldest Store

Yandell-Gugenheim Company, local dry goods dealers, has the oldest merchantile establishment in Marion, this business being well over forty years old. Years ago Samuel Gugenheim was the owner of a dry goods store here and Pierce and Yandell another. Several years before the beginning of the twentieth century these two stores were consolidated and became known as Pierce, Yandell and Gugenheim. The Pierce referred to is the late J. P. Pierce, who later retired from the business, which since that time has gone under the firm name of Yandell-Gugenheim Company.

Partners in the business are W. B. Yandell, Samuel Gugenheim and R. B. Cook who are assisted in the business by Samuel A. Gugenheim and Ernest Butler. Mr. Cook first became connected with the business about thirty-five years ago. Mr. Butler has been with the store twenty-four years.

Every individual connected with the store has for years been connected actively with community affairs and by their business policies they have won the warm friendship of their fellow citizens. Their store stands on one of the business corners in Marion.

Yandell-Gughenheim and Company has long been one of Marion's most successful stores and it is prophesied that continued good patronage will follow them. (This store was located where Frazer and Massey's Law Office is today.)

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                                                             City Drug Store

It is owned and managed by two of Marion's youngest business men, Ted Frazer and G. N. Rankin, both of them born and reared in Marion. In addition to the proprietors two clerks are employed, Bernal Hill and Chastain Frazer.

At least two reasons may be assigned as to why the City Drug Store has so quickly taken its place in the foremost ranks of local business establishments. First, the store itself, attractive and well lighted, is modern in every respect, from its up-to-date soda fountain, its line of drug sundries and novelties to a complete prescription department with a graduate, registered pharmacist in charge; second the modern business method and progressive ideas of the owners, who identify themselves with every movement for civic betterment and community progress.

The City Drug Company occupies two floors of the Flanary building on Main Street. On the first is located the soda fountain, the prescription department, and well stocked cases of cosmetics, toiletries and novelties.
The wall paper, paint and glass department is located on the second floor. Here they have two complete lines of wall paper on display at a price range of five cents per roll up.

(The City Drug Store, as the articles speaks of, closed on May 14, 1992)

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