"Monkey Wards"

Arron Montgomery Ward conceived the idea of a dry goods mail order business in Chicago early in life.  He had peddled products to rural America and saw a better way to reach them.  If he could eliminate the middle man, he could cut the cost of products and offer a wider variety.

Ward's first catalog was issued in 1872 - one sheet of 163 items.  Wards "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back" policy was ground-breaking in business and began in 1875.  By 1883 the catalog had grown to 240 pages with 10,000 items listed.  In 1904 the "Wish Book" weighed 4 pounds!  It went out to over 3 million subscribers.  Ward had obviously found a niche with the American consumer.

By the turn of the century, Ward had built brick and mortar central warehouses in several cities, the main one on the Chicago River that covered 1/4 of a mile.  It served as company headquarters for 70 years and is now a Historic Landmark in Chicago.  The Ward's Warehouse in Baltimore was also added to the National Registry of Historical Places in 2000.

The last catalog was issued in 1985 and the catalog division ceased after 113 years of operation.  America had become urban instead of rural so Ward built more brick and mortar stores all across the  nation.  The last brick and mortar store closed in 2000 and the company was liquidated.  Competition from long term department stores and some risky CEOs spelled Ward's demise.  Those of us who grew up with "Monkey Wards" though, will remember it as one of the largest retailers, and offered one of the best Christmas Wish Book for toys!

Next time...Ward's Competition
__________________________________
Today in Pioneer History:  "On June 11, 1817, the first predecessor of the bicycle is demonstrated.  The :Laufmaschine, also known as Draisine, a two wheeler without pedals, German inventor Karl Drais completed a 14 km test run in less than an hour, presenting a viable alternative to transportation by horse.

The Original Grange Supply House

Aaron Montgomery Ward made sure his customers knew that the business motto of the times, "Buyer Beware" had no place in his business.  Catalog #13, now 72 pages, offered a flat guarantee, "We guarantee all our goods.  If any of them are not satisfactory after due inspection, we will take them back, pay all expenses, and refund the money paid for them."  Ward was the first to offer such a guarantee as a national mail order policy.

Montgomery Ward sold to all corners of the nation, but proudly stated he was "the Original Grange Supply House."  He maintained good relations with the Grange through prosperous times and bad.  Advertising in many farm publications, he was the first to advertise in the Farmer's Voice which openly attacked trusts, the government and the Republican Party.  Ward would not openly endorse its policies, but he continued to advertise in its pages.

Some of those products included:
*  Black walnut Windsor Organ with beveled mirror, fancy scroll work and instruction book $60
*  The English Bicycle Suit made of fine wool "cassimere" strongly made, neat and "tasty"  $9.95
*  The Indiana Piano Box Buggy with silver hub bands and silver dash rail $47.75

Cards in the style of greeting cards were sent out to announce the coming new catalog.  The first catalog to offer fashion was the 1878 issue and over the years Ward's catalogs became known as "Wish Books."  Years later in 1946, the Grolier Club of New York included the Montgomery Ward catalog among the 100 most influential books in American life - for "increasing the standard of living of the American middle class."  How many of us are old enough to remember the Ward's Christmas Wish Book??

When Ward announced a five cent increase in postage in 1892, it caused an uproar, but Ward said, "Payment to cover postage is proof that you want the book."  When he died in 1913, he left his greatest accomplishment in his eyes - his successful fight to preserve Chicago's lakefront as a park for the people.  Grant Park is his monument. 

Next time...The Fate of Oliver Darlrymple
_____________________________________
Today in Pioneer History:  At 2:35 on the afternoon of October 27, 1904, New York City Mayor George McClellan takes the controls on the inaugural run of the city's innovative new rapid transit system: the subway.

A New Idea in Sales

In 1871 young Aaron Montgomery Ward worked for C.W.E. Partridge, wholesalers and retailers of goods in Chicago.  Ward had an idea to sell direct to the country farmers by mail at low prices.  Predictions were that he would go broke quickly and his first inventory was lost in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  Ward was undaunted and went back immediately to planning and saving.  By the following August with just $1600 and two fellow Partridge employees, Montgomery Ward and Company was founded as the first mail order company in America. 

When Ward was just nine years old, his family moved from Chatham, New Jersey to Niles, Michigan.  He was the son of a cobbler, and Aaron left school at the age of 14 to work in a barrel factory and later a brickyard.  Deciding that he was not "physically or mentally suited for brick or barrel making" he went on to jobs in a shoe store and a general store.  In 1866 he moved to Chicago where he clerked for the dry goods firm of Field (later Marshall Field would found the department store), Palmer and Leiter.  Ward then traveled as a salesman for other Chicago firms and a company from St. Louis.  It was while he was making his rounds of country stores by train and horse and buggy, that he came upon the idea of a mail order company. 

The first Montgomery Ward catalog was a one page list of 163 items, most costing $1.00.  The catalog was sent to the Grange membership of almost a million farmers.  When the response was slow in coming, Ward bought out his dissatisfied partners and became the sole owner during the Panic of 1873 which brought ruin to many farmers.

Ward was not discouraged but convinced that hard times were times of opportunity for him.  All he had to do was to win their confidence, so he began speaking at Grange meetings and explaining how he could offer low cost products direct to them.  He gave them reasons like no overhead, no employee salaries,  products purchased directly from the manufacturer with cash, and products not available on the retail market for at least six months. 

As Ward continued to work for Partridge's while he built his mail order business during the years of 1873 and 1874, business began to grow.  He took on a full time partner from back home in Michigan by the name of George R. Thorne and together they began to solidify Montgomery Ward Company.

Next time...Business Improves
__________________________________
Today in Pioneer History: "On October 22, 1824,  the Tennessee Legislature adjourns ending Davy Crockett‘s state political career.