Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, March 29, 1913, Page 8

\ JOHN PORTEOUS. ARCHIBALD MITCHELL. FORTY YEARS IN BU$INESS HERE Porteous & Mitchell Company Celebrating Anniversary This Week—From Small Beginning Grown to Be One of the Largest Stores in Connecticut—Sketch of Growth | i dealing and of sching ool mer and Development. Every business man is in a sense # public citizen. He serves the pub- and is a factor in shaping the bus- iness customs and policies of the coun- iry that tend to uniformity and com- mon prastice and finally culminate in recognized principles that are not only accepted by the people at large but by ine very courts of the country. business man, therefore Who zbove the plane of an ordinary trader and becomes one of the pioneers in 1he introduction of business or trading yrinciples that redound to the bemefit of society, becomes a public benefa tor and Is a proper subect for public discussion, Began a New Era. Good government in the legislative and administrative branches of the zood govern- d administra- tlive branches of commercial business. Jaw is synonymous Wi Jment in the executive OLD STORE IN 1873. So well recognized has the application of these principles to business becoms, that the public has learned to look upon successful business men with as much interest and concern as upon successful statesmen, ang the Bulletin will, therefore,” be considered entirely within the rules of propriety in briefly Teviewing the business career of the men at the head of the most prominent mercantile house in Norwich that has bscome a potent factor in shaping a business policy In this city that all Tecognize as beneficial to the entire public. In fact it would be no exag- geration to state that with the advent in business of Messrs. Portecus and Mitchell in Norwich began 2 new era for. our fair city that has not : iven it a metr placed the gener 10 enjoy the enjoyed by the citles in the cou Came Here in 1873. In the spring of iS73 t the large establishment of Thomson & Co. of Hartford. They had determined to start in business for themselves and coming to this city, swhich seemed to offer a promising field they leased a small store in the Rich- ards building on Main street and open- ed a store. Their beginning, like that of nearly every successful business was small.” It was an experiment t from the first it met with success. 5 jth progressive ideas gained from eir experience in other flelds Messrs. Porteous & Mitchell began what might n a position advantages ihe .largest ere came to Norwich two young Scotchmen, John Porteous and Archibald Mitehell. They had gained In their native country a &oo0d ground work in the knowledge of the dry goods business and upon / gomins to America had amplified that knowledge by several years' service in and an_ office almost be termed a revolution in local retail business methods. Their policy was a liberal ome, treatinz the cu: tomer fairly. and generously and thus gaining his configence. Growing from Small Beginning. right hard work being required. But these two men had that sturdy char- acter and indomitable will of their nationality and being favored wi g00d health they never lost courag Their invariable fair-mindedness in dealing with the public found a cor- dial return in the patronage whic they began to gain. This increase w: So rapid that within a few vears their | business outgrew their quarters additional room was necessary. was galnedq by taking a room in the Bulletin building which was devoted | to the dress fabric department. But a ! few vears later a further extension | was made by taking in the store in the Rockwell building, formerly occu- pied by and L. S. Winslow. Thi was an important step as it not.on gave the firm a material increase in store area but added a larse fromt- | age on Main street of great value for display purposes. The firm's business | Le e increased evén more rapidly with the | Press and mall charges anywhere in additions mentioned and demznded| further extension of store space. Big Main Street Store. The two Main street gtores of the Bulletin building before® occupied by | the post office and the stationery store | of Charles A. Burnham were added | and a little later the quarters in th Richards building where had been.the | First National bank., This gave the | m a continuous frontage on Man street of 150 feet. Again in 1306 the firm made another enlargement, one of the most important additions of its b mercantile career. It leased the en- tire five floors of the Bulletin building and proceeded to fit up the additional room in the most up-to-date war. A\ modern elevator was installe new departments were added and practi- cally every department in the store was enlarged. Retail and WholeSale. This last change gave the people of Norwich a department store which in stock and equipment is unsurpassed by | any store in eastern Connecticut. In the meantime while they were devel- | oping the retail end of their business, a wholsale department had been added. occupying quarters in the Richards and Bulletin buildings, on Water street, | which was gradually built upon on a| corresponding scale with the retail de- partment. It now occupies four large stores in the two buildings named, and the stock carried Is a very large and varied one. While naturalt familior to the regular-patron. retail branch, it supplies many smail dealers in this city and vicinity with thelr entire stock of goods. Three Other Stores The progressive and expansive pol- icy of this firm led them to venture| into foreign flelds, where their suc-| cess has been equal to_that achieved . here. The liberality of management, which gained at once public favor here, proved potent in the other undertai- ings, so that Messrs. Porteous & Mitch- ell are now interested in four stores, the other three being Jocated respect- | ively in Grand Rapids, Mich., Fort! ‘Wayne, Ind., and Portland, Maine, The store at Grand Rapids is in charge of Charles Trankla, a native of this city and a man who gained his training in the local store of the compan: was given charge of the Michigan store | upon its establishment in 1885, and has conducted it under the firm name of | Charles Trankla & Co. with - signal ability. The Fort Wayne branch lis dl rected by Henry Beadell, who has il in its management. | 1, tore, which is known as & gitehsll & Braun | nt of Rob- B. Fortecus, hoth of Norwleh and | gained their knowledge of the business | with the parent house in this city. Foreign: Connections. It is mot only by these several branch stores that The Porteous & Mitchell Co. has increased its buying capacity: they are one of the founders of and hold 2 membership in the Dry | Goods Union of New York city, one of the largest organizations of ifs kind in America ,with a purchasing power of more than twelve millions of dol- lars annually. They have an office in Paris with a resident representative, in Chemnitz, Germany, so with a resident representative. They are therefore ably represented in the three leading mercantile centers of New York, Paris and Chem- e - _+RORTEOUS & MITCHELL 'CO. STORE TODAY, The first year was necessarily some- what discouraging, courage and down- | the most skilful anglers in the coun- | in settlement for a suit against it. The { wili be permanenily crippled. | ing it. ousands of men are daily growing bald and dox't know it. Those persistent gorma of dandruff often called the destructive agents ot the devil, are in full possession of the hair of thousands of Americans. | They have wonderful enduramte, these game little demons; they never stop work; they dig and'dig and dig end gnaw and gnaw and gnaw night and day, day and night, with seem- ingly only one purpose in view. and that purpose to destroy the vitality of the hair and make us a tace of bald- heads. i ‘What are you doing to protect your- | self from the ravishing Inroads of these almost unconquerable ficnds? There is only one way: Lill the dandruft germ, or the dandruf germ Wwill kill Your ‘Mair. The quic: start, the quicker you can battle. S The only weapon you need is a bot- tle of Parisian S: the oniy hair Drepasation ths death to the but 50 re dan- The Lee & Osgood Co. guarantees it. in merchandise and economy in s unsurpassed by that of any store in_Conn Mareover, | o Porteous & Mitch siways enjoyed a Chandise ¢ They helieve that nothing is cheap that docs mot have sufficient quality to sive an honest return in service for the money paid for it. By Mail and Telephone. In alidition’ to the large patronage which they enjoy ffom the many thou- sands who visit the store during the course of a year, they also do an ex- tensive business by mail and tele- phone. They have a very complete tel- | ephone service with every floor of the establishment,cna rons to com- munjcate direct w ery department n the store. Orders by mail are given careful attention by experienced shop- therel uring satisfactory ser- Those who do not find it con- venlent to visit the store at all time in person realize that they may trade by mail or telephone with this up-to-date re and be assured of right goods at hi pri and the privilege of a willing exchange of goods or a refund of money whenever anything is wh-| satisfactory. And now that the parcel Dost is in operation the people of east- | ern Connecticut, all of whom live with- | in«the first zone, thereby being enti- | tled to the lowest rates, are enabled to | have all their purchases delivered at a minimum cost. This simply supple- | ments the delivery service of the’com- | pany. as it has always been a part of | the store policy to pay, all freight, ex- Counecticut, on all purchases of $5 or | over The Two Founders. s the carcer of a business estab- lishment is due entirely to the men v.ho direct and control_it, something the personality of these two men vilF be of interest.at this time. As has befn said, both are natives of Scotland. Both came fo America when oung men nz laid the foun- ation for th i training in their 3 mastery of ed in Scotland ie to them in s country. It s just the prelimina training essary (o them for the emer- ther ihing wh has contributed rgely to ine prosperity of this com- has been the judicious division of e work which insures thorough effi- rcv in every department. Mr. itchell had general financial direc- | tion of the business, and with an ex- | ecutive ability of a high order he has | proven himself a wise and at the samo time conservative financier. Mr. Por- teous gave his attention to the buying And the distribution of stock among the several stores. In this very im- pertant branch of the business Mr. Porteous has displaved a remarkable sagecity. Having rare ability in judg- ing zoods and a complete knowledse valucs, he adds an uncommon skill anticipating the tastes of the pub- He is generally regarded as one Just at-thi: The Busines; Center of Norwic: Spring Sale of Notions BEGINS THIS MORNING This Spring Sale of Notions and Dressmaking Supplies is an event which has infinite p. bilities for the home dressmaker. problem, a sale of these necessities at prices which mean big savings is very welcome. Come in today and make a little profit on each dollar spent time, when the Spring sewing is becomi EXTRA Silk Covered Dress in sizes 3 and ¢ of the ordinary shapes. Shields which will give Sold regularly for 25c a cushion top. Sale Price 17c, 2 pair 32¢ EXTRA EXTRA Nickeled Spool Holders Safety Pins ‘made on standard for holding 8 A sp spools of thread, with velvet pin Sold regularly for 1, ty Pins nickeled. Strong clasp. and 3. Sell regu a paper Sale Price 15¢ Sale Price 2 for 5¢ THREADS 5c BLACK SEWING yard spools..... WHITE TWILLED veve.-...Sale Price row widths, 10c BLACK SEWING SILK, 100- yard spools. .. wider widths, ..Sale Price 5c WHITE BASTING COTTON, 500-yard spools...Sale Price, 3 for 10c WILLIMANTIC MACHINE Sale Price, 6 for 27c Yt e AT medium widths, 24-yard rolls. : . Women’s Apparel DISPLAYH‘IG INDIVIDUALITY A_ND STYLE ‘Wouldn’t you like to have a Suit, a Coat, or a Waist which would be as individual as your own personality? Wouldn't you like to have such a the elements which gi MACHINE THREAD, six cord. (Sale Price, 6 for 24012350 and 15c BIAS of the best quality lay LINEN FINISH THREAD for but- 3 vscreceoeee..8ale Price 9c Extra heavy, 100-yard Sale Price, 2 for garment and have it likewise poss elusive something which is called style. Boston Store Garments possess both Individuality and Style You will find this big department filled with the daintiest and most attractive productions of some of the foremost designers ef this coun- try, and you will find that the cost is as moderate as that of garments which have neither the style nor the qu Come today and let us show you how you can dress best at the smallest cost. leces..... ton sewing. = for finishing purposes. MERRICK'S DARNING COTTON, in 45-yard spools, black, white and .Sale Price BINDING In the 5¢ NICKEL. best quality, white, black and [in al! sizes DARNING COTTON of good quall- ty, in black, white and tan, 45-yard tireeesren..Sale Price 1o TOLSON'S , all ready black and white, Sale Price 12 yards for 3% | 10, nrACK sHC S SHAPED DRESS regular price ic PINS AND NEEDLES COMMON PINS on papers, full 400 ..8als Price, 30; 2 for HOSE SUPPORTERS M. C. HOSE in black or white 12%c Infants' 15¢ Children’s ..........Sale Price 120 AMERICAN PINS, 380 count. Sale Price the most compotent buyers of gen- ary goods in New York and other market acqraintance with dry scods merchants all over the country, | gained from an experience of 40 vears, is very extensive. Incorporated in 1906. In line with the progressive polic of the firm, the business was incor- porated in 1906 under the title of “The | Porteous & Mitchell Company,” an 1wo of the employes that had been in | the service of the firm for a number of ears were taken into the compa he present officers of the company are: Jobn Porteous, president; Archi- bald Mitchell, vice president; O. E. Wulf, secretary and treasurer; Jokn Porteous, Archibald Mitchell, O. E Wulf and John M. Lee, directors. Active in Civic Interests. Both Messre. Porteous and Mitchell have been identified with a number. of | other enterprises which are active In the business life of the community Porieous is a director of the mes National bank, a director of Nor Savings society and president of the Lawton Mills com- any of the nearby village of Plain- i, This © and suc- 7l cott s plant which ow- 10 its proximily to Norwlch iis very helpful in all channels of trade. AMr. Mitchell is a director of the Chel- sca Savings bank, a trustee of the Otis library and an incorporator of the Norwich Free Academy. Aside from his business interests, he 1s an ardent portsman and is recognized as one of try. He is one of the promoters of the “Slater Memorial hall musical courses and has been helpful in bring- ing to Norwich some of the greatest musical artists in the world. During their long business career in Norwich Dboth Messrs. Porteous ' and Mitchell have left the Impress of their charac- ter on the community and will receive hearty. congratulations upon their 40th anniversary and will have cordial good wishes from everyone for continued success and prosperity. BOLLES COLLECTS DAMAGES. - New London Man is Given $13,000 by New Haven Road. Damages of $13,000 for injuries re- ceived ¥n a irpilev car accident In Bridgeport have been given Louis R. Bolles of that city, formerly of New Tondon, by the Connecticut company settlement is one of the largest ever made by the Connectlcut company. Bolles was one of the passengers on a trolley car which on Saturday evening. Sept. 7, of last year, whije going down the Congress sireet hill in Bridgepot kot beyond the control of the motorman, the brakes failing to work and crashed into another car at ths foot of the hill. Bolles tomether with_several other passengers was in- jured, Dbis injuries being so serious that it was thought he would never Tecover. I%or .months he was In a Bridgeport hospital hovering between life and death. His life was finally saved by a delicate operation, but he The injured man caused suit to be Dbrought, but it did not come to trial, the seitlement Wednesday treminat- | i While it is well to make things go as far as possible, we cannot advise ! atretching the truth, ¢ FLISH PINS ty, 8old regularly for 10c. Sale Price 7¢c of the first Women's ...... WOMEN'S PAD HOSE SUP- PORTERS ........n. Mourning Pins in boxes..Sale Price 50c WOMEN'S PAD HOSE SUP- PINS or those with Ipopmmps | white heads in boxes....Sale Price MOURNING <2ee’-Bale Price 8% | with chall coniplete WOMEN'S PORTERS. .Sale Price 3 pairs for 19c | DOUBLE COVERED NAINS Sc PIN SHEETS—Pins have either white heads....Sale Price Boston Store Millinery THE NEW EFFECTS The newer effects in the Hats of thi requires the utmost skill in arranging these effects so that no element It is only In the hands of an artist that these striking designs receive 9‘. treatment which makes them ceveted by all.. Our designers have had the greatest opportunity of observing embodied in the designa of the leading Parisian and American Milliners and Boston Store Millinery Is consequently of the highest order. CUBES—pins with white colored heads..Sale Price 5c PEARL AND FANCY BUTTONS WHITE PEARL BUTTONS—a good Spring are most stunning but it with black, ..Sale Price 12¢ CUBES—pins of the grotesque shall enter. colored heads ROBERTS, PARABOLA NEEDLES 5c to 7c CLINTON SAFETY P! —elther white or black..Sale Price 4c LET US 8HOW YOU THE LATEST . JAPANNED WIRE HAIR PINS of Bnglish make..Sale Price 2c; 3 for Sc FANCY BUTTONS, coats and suits, value 17c a card. HAIR PIN CABINETS with pins of 12 different lengths and styles. Sale Price 9c; 3 for 25 Costume Voile 9¢ a Yard We have had such phenomenal success with this Veile that we have ransacked the market, succeeding finally It is a fine, black costume Voile which was intended for sale at 25c a INVISIBLE HAIR PINS all sizes, value 123%c a dozen. pl nets—assorted sizes. . IMPORTER'S SALE OF TOOTH BRUSHES At the conclusion of a business trip an importer left his entire line of Adult’s and Childre: Tooth Brushes with us; and he left them at-a price which enables us to sell them for a fr: There are seven lots as quoted below. The Brushes are in al styles—solid and ventilated backs—bleached and unbleached bristles of all textures and cut in all the approved ways, concaved, serrated and tufted. Handles of polished bone or cellu- getting a few more pieces. e SPECIAL 9c A YARD Wamsutta Gold Medal Pillow Cases 19¢ Splendid Pillow Cases made from this celebrated cotton in one size sell regularly for 25c each. SPECIAL 19 EACH Sieerdoxby 99 inghes. tion of their actual value. YOUR CHOICE AT THESE REVIARKABLE PRICE 12%%c BRUSHES ........ 15¢ BRUSHES . ......... 17¢ BRUSHES ......... Let the little girls join this class where they will receive instructions in all of the latest skitch. enroliment of more than thirty and this year we have prepared for more. ENROLL THE FIRST DAY IF POSSIBLE. Last year we had an Sliahy 12e 50c BRUSHES ....c....... TAPES AND BINDINGS HOOKS AND EYES TAPE in nar- 5¢ SPRING HOOKS 3-yard rolls. .Sale Price 1c |either black or r card. TWILLED TAPE in the i card rolls. 10c BRASS HOOKS A Sale Price 2c;'3 for 5o [of finest quality, 2 dozen will not rus Sale F TWILLED TAPE in 10- vard rolls, values up to 1% a roll. HOOK AND EYE TAI Salo Price 8 |black and white, regular vard.. Sale P in Sale Price 10c MISCELLANEOUS 15c BONE HAIR PI 1l or amber finis AM TARD n, 12-yard 10c FEATHER STITCHED BRAID |50 TAPE MBASURES, 5 .Sale Price 6c |versivle............. Sale P :Sale Price 1ic| rou for use, both 5 SUPPORTERS 2 PORTERS with- do --Sale Price 10¢ | ;.omgvapie casing Sale .8ale Price 15¢ [[RONING ~ WAX handle........ Sale Price 6 .Sale Price 21c MARKER. W e r marker .Sale Price 19¢ eral years. It has a 8-inch* post and is ba: HOSE SUP- ELDS in | Sale Price 10c Sale Price 9 IRON HOLDERS wi quality of fresh water pearl it Price Sale Prics a card 4c | 10c SKIRT AND 10c WHITE PEARL BUTTONS. | ERS—niciel-plated—foldix Sale Price 7o Price suitable for ‘\H. IVORY IRONING WA no smell.................Sale Price Sale Price 10¢ |77 5™ & : 10c SHIRT WAIST F WASHABLE LACE BUTTONS, in * |, 0 50 0 O hofd Y Sale”Price 7c | the hack....... Sale Price H0c BRESHES [ gasies s tic e s - 5 015 256 BRIYSHBS I s s Dos a5 19c 35¢c-BRUSHES st cisdee . ... 2% et SO