Convertinga Warehouse Into a Sales Room

How an Ohio Dealer Discovered Advertising in a Plate Glass Store Front

'Ihis is a sory of how a well knorvn lum,ber firm, seeking to improve the appearance of its property, improved also, its volume of business, and, incidentally, discovered advertising in a plate glass store front.

The Svvan Creek Lumber & Supply Company are modern building merchants at Toledo, Ohio, both wholesalers and retailers. And it must not be thought for a moment that advertising is a new proposition'to them. They believe in it thoroughly and practice it at all times.

They also believe that a lttmber merchant ou$nti not to urge his community to improve its locks without setting the exam.ple. So when they installed a new hardware store in their plant at a cost 'of $5C00, they decided to make the building which housed it more attractive looking. They tore out the front of the warehouse and installed in place of the bare, brick wall, a 40 footl pla'te glass display 'window. The result is shQwn in the photograph here reproduced.

But, mincl you, the prime motive was to improve the appearance of their property. And this virtue proved to be its owrr rewar<l. For while the change beca'me a matter of discussion throughout rthe town, and {avorable comment was made on all sides, the advertising value n.rade itself immediately apparent, as related in the {ollowing words b,v K. .P. Aschbacher, secretary of the company:

"All of our employes report that this improvement to orlr property is a matter of cliscttssion throughout the neignborhoods. Many o{ the writer:s personal friends and acquaintances have mentioned t.his new window and have remarked on the improved appearance of our ,property. 'lo our minds this is the most favorable kind of advertising which can be obtained.

"Usually we say advertisirrg is of two kinds, favorable and unfavorable. Years ago the writelheard a, proverb reading something like -this: 'If your competitor talks about you put him on the payroll. No matter what he sayst so long as he talks.' This ought to,bq equall.y'ttue about the citizenry 'of Tole do because unless. they have a grievance against us their remarks shotrld at least give us the ber-refit of the doubt and be favorable.

"Frequently within the past few weeks there have been so many automobiles parked in front of our office-that we

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