New Businesses by Pete Zizka 4-27-2024 |
It doesn’t take a lot of
searching on the Internet to find a wealth of information about the
history of the Willimantic-Windham area. An amazing amount of printed
material is available and can be downloaded and used freely since the
copyrights have long since expired. One book I came across recently was
published in 1890 and was filled with lengthy advertisements for local
businesses in Willimantic and Colchester. What is especially intriguing
about the book is to see what types of businesses prevailed at that time
compared to today and to see what was being said about things we take
for granted today but were very new to folks living in 1890. For
example, the ad for the Willimantic Electric Light Company provides some
interesting information about electricity use at the time. “Scientific
men predict that cooking and heating will be done by gas in the future…”
Electricity was being used only for lighting since appliances hadn’t yet
been thought of. “After the
introduction of the electric light, it soon became manifest that …
incandescent lighting was peculiarly fitted for interior use.” In 1890,
most homes were still lit by candles or gaslight. By 1910 only about 15%
of homes had electricity and those that had it were wired only for
lighting. In 1890, the number of customers in Willimantic was rapidly
increasing and the city itself now had 50 street lights and 32 lights
being used for “commercial lighting”. The “dynamos” for producing
electricity were located in the Morrison Machine Company building but a
new station was “being contemplated”. The company claimed that its
service was “uniformly reliable” and would give excellent satisfaction
to its users.
“Since
electricity was first put to regular commercial use for illuminating
purposes in this country, the public have become thoroughly familiar
with its most prominent characteristics, and are favorably impressed by
them”. In 1890, radiators, steam heating and indoor plumbing were not
yet common and so the Vanderman
Company advertised its goods and services.. “It is far better to have no
plumbing at all in a house than to have what plumbing there is
improperly done, and the same thing may be said concerning steam heating
or hot water apparatus”. The ad went on to let people know how fortunate
they were to have the Vanderman Company. “He makes a specialty of
first-class plumbing and low-pressure steam and hot water heating, and
those wishing proof of his ability to satisfy the most critical in this
kind of work are respectfully referred to Vanderman's work”. In 1890,
Vanderman was located on Church Street and had about 15 employees.
In 1892, he built a new three story workshop and factory at 152 Valley
Street and in 1899 expanded his business by adding another foundry to
Mansfield Avenue. He also maintained a shop in Putnam.
Yet another fairly new concept was the commercial laundry.
People did their washing at home and hung their clothes outside to dry.
The Maverick Laundry began a year before the ad book was published and
its ad attempted to dispel what must have been a popular belief. “The
public has long since discovered that the cock-and-bull stories
circulated by certain interested parties, calculated to convey the
impression that goods entrusted to a public laundry would be soon
destroyed, was entirely unworthy of credence for however it may be with
other concerns the Maverick Steam Laundry employs no agents nor machines
that could possibly harm the articles laundried (sic) by them.”
Maverick, though, must have been doing well because after only a year,
“(T)he
fine character of the work turned out became known, and it was learned
that the prices were as reasonable as the work was satisfactory, a large
patronage was accorded the proprietor”. Maverick provided both free
pickup and delivery and, “orders by postal card, or otherwise,
delivered, will receive prompt attention.
Finally, although the business was nothing new, the concept of its
all-woman ownership must have been since the ad was entitled “Ladies
Store” and started off by saying the name was a double meaning. The
store itself was, “devoted
expressly to the handling of goods for ladies' use, (and) the
proprietors are all ladies.” The actual name of the business was Chase,
Barker & Co., “consisting of Mrs. A. H. Chase, Miss A. E. Barker and the
Misses Chase, there being four partners altogether.” It was said to have
been very popular with the ladies in the area
“so lady patrons may depend upon being served by ladies —an
advantage the importance of which our readers will readily understand”.
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