This Womqn Specicllisr Proves Retcril Lumberyqrd WINDOW DISPLAYS Are the Best lnvestment

(Edr.tor's Note: I,I/hen Iohn Sulliz,an of San. Diego's LVest' crn Lutnber Company told the Fall Conf erence of the Soutlrcrtr. California Retail Lwntber Association. at Palm Springs last )troaember d,urutg the panel discussion tJt'at the company enr,lloye d a wonxan specialist to do nothing bwt create new windoz", displays at the stores of Western's lineyards every two weehs, The CALIFORNIA LLTMBER MERCHANT scented, a retl' hot nezas story to pass on to its subscribers. Here, then, is that story in the sltectalist's ozun zuords:)

By PHYttlS STOVER Disploy Monoger

Western Lumber Co., Sqn Diego

"Scheduled nronthly lvindor,v display changes."

Mr. Ed (M. E. Edmiston), idea-man extraordinary, :rpproached me with that unique idea more than two Christmases ago. It has worked for \\restern Lumber Company in San Diego.

It must be considered a unique idea because it has been n-ry observation that rvindorvs at most lumberyards are :t place to store that oversupply of garden hose that is not selling, and a catch-all for dead flies !

Display is the oldest form of advertising. It had its birth when some unknown genius placed a couple of spearheaf,s outside his cave to show that he had merchandise to barter. It is taking a long time to reach most of the rest of the retail lumber industry.

Windorv display is important at Western's four branch yards. Our merchandise is placed before the public eye properly timed, properly signed and properly dusted. (Jur displays do not stay in our windows for more than two rveeks. Our rvindows, items and installation dates are planned a full year in advance. Unusual ? We know rve are !

But CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT readers may not be aware of the fact, since formal display is ner,v to the building materials industry, that rvindows are proving to be a better investment of advertising dollars rvith the public than radio or newspapers. It definitely is INCREASING COUNTER SALES.

At the beginning of the year, after consulting the branch vard managers, and getting a good over-all picture of the months ahead, and having had a meeting with our radio commentator, "Mr. E,d" and I draw up the schedule for the year, allowing each yard two window changes a month.

Our windorvs, first of all, feature a particular item. I try to work in close coordination with the branch yard managers to discover what is important:

Is it a price item? Are we the only ones that carry it? Is it a new or superior item?

Upon that answer I base the main theme of the windows. I draw up sketches about 10 days in advance and lvork out some of the "bugs;" get the copy. to the sign man, and mail

(Continued on Page 44)

**16

-National Motorist.

A practical philosopher, answering the question as to why so many married women are working these days, says it is to help their husbands pay their income tax.

*8X<

"Money isn't everything," said the kindly philosopher. "No," replied the practical guy, "but it is at least three lengths ahead of whateve*r is running second."

Great advances have been made in plastic surgery, so they say, but no way has yet been found to keep our noses out of other folks'business.

The idea is preva,len. ;.;*;"ut the country that the climate throughout this land is definitely changing. You hear that remark everywhere you go. Lots of folks, trying to explain it, say that the explosion of nuclear bombs is probably back of the whole .1t"1.

Which caused the magazine, "Today's Health," to report that back in the early ages, one caveman said to another: "Say what you will, we never had this crazy weather untii they started using those bows and arrows." And Mr. Stonehatchet was probably just as near right as our moderrr weather

guessers'

The typical American, says a press report, is strictly an optimist. He believes that he can afford anything he can buy on credit. And, since he can buy just about everything on earth that way, b.usiness of all sorts booms.

Heard a political orator]a loJr"rr, give President Eisenhower fits because all of his important positions are not filled with people of great ability, and she pointed out several weak sisters who are in the very high ranks in the administration.

Personally, r agree that so;e l, ,0.'" appointees to high and important positions seem strange and unfitting. But in such cases my mind goes back many years to something I once heard a brilliant lumberman say on that very subject. The speaker was John Henry Kirby, of Houston, one of the brightest men of his day and *generation.

Someone was roundly condemning President Woodrow Wilson for appointing rnen to high position who seemed unfit to wear the robes he placed upon their shoulders. Mr. Kirby spoke up and uttered these, to me, never-to-be-forgotten words: "Remember, Mr. Wilson has only his finite

BY JACK DIONNE

mind to aid him in selecting his helpers, and he has had an army of selections to make.

tF** rt isn't everyone "rh" t;"; tlat ttis great and glorious country is setting a shining mark for all future ages to admire. Newsweek reports on a speech recently made to a New York audience by a Ca,lifornia literary professor at USC named Dr. Frank Baxter who said: "If would be difficult to maintain that our rich potential America has produced a great culture; only an idiot can pretend that America is literate."

"There has lived on this ealrth only one Man of Infinite Mind, and this Man selected just twelve men to aid Him, yet in spite of His Immortal intelligence, one-fourth of His selections failed Him. Thomas doubted Him; Peter repudiated Him, and Judas betrayed Him. So we should not expect too much of mortal mer1." Think that over, friends.

The late Carl Crow ., J"..L"J, a fifelong friend of mine, could flare up on occasion and throw verbal spitballs that fairly sizzled. It was back about 1925 that Carl wrote the following paragraph in his "Lumber Digest" (still published by his widow, Dorothy). "Late in the afternoon of the Sixth Day," wrote Carl, "When the Creator had made all good things there was still some dirty work to do, so He made the beasts and the reptiles a,nd poisonous insects. When He had finished He had some scraps left that were too bad to be put into the rattlesnake, the hyena, the scorpion, and the skunk. So He put all these together, covered it with meanness, wrapped it in selfishness, marked it with a yellow streak, and so produced the chuckling sap who darts into a parking space while the car ahead is preparing to back in." Not hard to guess what had recently happened to Carl, is it?

Them's harsh word", "iorirol. Yet I should fea,r down cieep in my heart to attempt to disprove the truth of his remarks. I would simply point to one thing in defense of his opinion, that thing being the character and class of our award-winning books of recent years. Trash-tiresome and witless trash, I call them. I,n most of the award-winning literature we are producing, the covers of the books are too far apart; they should be glued together. ***

Someone wrote on Washington's recent birthday that they used to brag about George throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac; when we have arrived at a time when we throw billions of them across both oceans. tr*{<

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$2OO Million lmprovemenls

Ifomeowners in Los Angeles spend $200 million annually on home improvements and will top that in 1956, the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Assn. reports. The L. A. County expenditures are estimated at more than $500 million.

made a speech.recently on the subject of advertising, and uttered some terse thoughts that every thinking man should be interested in. He said: "I've never seen a piece of copy yet that I couldn't improve with a pair of scissors." Also: "I'm a great believer in women in our business. The three things most needed for success in the advertising business are a good secretary, a good doctor, and a good lawyer." Tlre speaker was Bruce Barton of New York, distinguished publicity man and splendid citizen who exemplifies everything that the*U.S. loves in a man.

The farm problem is second to none in this country today. But the farrner they speak of now is the top subsidy man of this world, not the old boy who used to rise at dawn and pull a line over the back of a hay burner until the dewey eve. No, this is a far differe"j *:t.

Bill Cunningham, Boston columnist and powerful TV speaker, says that diplomacy today is not like diplomacy in the old days whqn it simply meant to say, "Nice doggie, nice doggie," until..y.ou could find a club. Diplomacy has changed, too.

Someone has said that world conditions today look very much like a rat race, and it looks like the rats are winning out. But I continue to believe that pure and unadulterated Americanism without foreign isms can and will wipe out all red threats. When you face such a machine, you fa,ce one that is making a million revolutions a minute and hasn't even called up its reserves*yet. *

The tense situation in the Middle East makes all the headlines. The story goes that when the last fight took place in the region, the Arabs lost fifty camels and the Israelites lost ten Cadillacs and a Thunderbird.

Hqmmond Ncrmes Hormuth to New Yord; Bngous R.oised qt Son Fernqndo

William H. Hormuth, manager of Hammond Lumber Company at San Fernando, has been named to manage the company's nerv yard now uncler construction at West Santa Ana. After serving three years in the Air Corps, Ho?muth joined Hammond at San Fernando in 1947. He r'vas made manager there in 1952. A former Summer League baseball player, he rvas active in American Legion-sponsored boys bascball in San Fernando, rvhere he rvas a member of the Lions Club.

Harlan Bagaus rvill replace Hormuth as manager at San Fernando April 1. First employed by Harnmond in 1934, Bagaus left the ,company in 1942 and later managed the Cronin Lumber Company yard in Van Nuys. He returned to llammond at San Fernando in 1952.

'!7e're indepencientl r0(/e think our independence is a business asset. It means that we giui a freedom of choice in buying the 6nest available materials for each job, without any pressure from the big wheels. Of course, we're not soft-pedalling any of our top suppliers, our good mill sources or any of our good friends in the industry . . . but we're not giving any free rides either. Being independent not owned by some manufacturer we have freedom of choice in buying and selling. You have freedom of choice in buvine here. Your needs. olus ou choice buying needs, plus our chorce rn Duyrng nere. rouf neeos, Prus ouf unbiased selling, gives you the best. Our independence is your assurance of quality here's an asset you can measure on your cost sheets.

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