Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 309, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1919 — ALL RECORDS ARE SMASHED [ARTICLE]

ALL RECORDS ARE SMASHED

IN THE MATTER OF CHRISTMAS SALES IS WORD HANDED DOWN BY MERCHANTS. All records in the way of Christmas sales have been broken jn the city, is the word handed down by our merchants, and there seems to be no reason to doubt their word when one recollects the busy appearance of our city during the final weeks prior to the arrival of the day. No line of business was slighted and*the volume Of trade enjoyed by our business men has been simply amazing. The high cost of living seemed to retard the purchasers not the slightest and they spent their money freely and liberally and with a reckless abandon that betrayed the prosperity they are enjoying. People who bought cautiously and meagerly in past years did. not let the price stand in their way in this year of 1919, and merchants have related instance after instance of customers of theirs who in other years threw up their hands at the mere mention of the prices of certain articles who this year protested that merchandise which they wished to purchase could not be -of a very good quality at the prices named. Prosperity seems to have hit the nation generally and as a result the American people are spending as 'they never spent before, resulting in the present skyrocket prices. Rensselaer is the trading center of the community within a radius of thirty piiles and is forging ahead rapidly as a business center. In these days of rapid transit the farmer will go to the place, where he can get the best values for his money, even though it may be a little out of the way for him, and our merchants have realized this fact and catered to his trade. The automobile has been a boon to the larger towns, but the smaller towns have suffered in a business way. Rensselaer has a rich surrounding territory to draw from’and it is up to our merchants to keep apace of the times and provide our business visitors with their every want if the* city is to continue to grow and prosper.