After the Railroad

Merchandising Expands Dramatically

Merchants and their workers saw their businesses grow as the population increased and more goods were transported into the area via the railroad.

Featuring:

Marie M. Curtis Robbins, (1866 – 1956), sales clerk
Howard Walton Kelly, (1871 – 1957), Traveling salesman
Bert Neal, (1899 – 1972), foreman
William T. Smith, (1887 – 1964), Traveling salesman
George P. Giering, (1878 – 1942), Department store clerk

Marie M. Curtis Robbins

Marie M. Curtis Robbins (1866-1956) worked as a domestic servant (housekeeper or cook) for many years. But in 1903 she got work as a sales clerk at Bloomington’s Woolen Mill Store.

Marie worked with customers to identify items of interest in the store’s many display cases, then pulled a selection of items from the drawers and shelves behind the cases for them to examine more closely. After a customer reached a decision she packaged their items and ran the sale through the cash register. Marie then returned the unwanted items to storage.

Marie left the Woolen Mill Store in 1911, just before she married at the age of 47.

Portrait of women working at a clothing store. They are wearing white shirts and long dark dresses. They are surrounded by glass display cases and stacks of fabric on the back walls. — The Woolen Mill Store opened in 1890 for the purpose of selling woolen fabrics made at the Woolen Mill in south Normal. But the store soon expanded to sell other fabrics, lace, hankies, gloves, sewing patterns, sewing notions, and ready-to-wear clothing manufactured elsewhere and shipped in by rail.

A pair of white leather gloves displayed next to a wooden glove stretching device, which consists of a flared base and shaft. — Sometimes a little additional customer service was needed to ensure a sale. If a pair of leather gloves were just a little too tight, the clerk could use this glove stretcher to lengthen and expand the fingers so the gloves would fit perfectly. The bell-shaped portion could be filled with talcum powder to make sliding the gloves on and off easier.

Donated by: Clarise Jefferson, the Estate of Dorothy Moon
2016.07.31, 844.4406

Photo of a plaid, wool blanket with fringe along the bottom. It is mostly yellow, with accents of blue, red, black, and white. — Local wool was used to spin the yarn that was then woven into blankets, like this one, at Bloomington’s Woolen Mill. The mill’s products were sold at Bloomington’s Woolen Mill Store.

Donated by: the Estate of Pearl Hitch Funk
868.647

Howard Walton Kelly

Howard Walton Kelly (1871-1957) grew up in Heyworth, but moved to Bloomington in 1887 when he got his first job at the G.G. Johnson grocery in Normal.

Five years later Howard was hired to work as a buyer for J.F. Humphreys & Co.

Howard traveled throughout the United States, identifying products in large quantities and arranging for their purchase and shipment to the Bloomington plant.

Once the products arrived, the company packaged and then sold the products to groceries at wholesale prices using traveling salesmen.

Black and white photo of two men processing sugar using what appears to be a pulley system with overhead belts.

Howard worked as a buyer until 1897 when he became a traveling salesman, selling Humphreys Wedding Ring and Wish Bone products to regional grocers.

Howard left Humphreys in 1907 when he and nine other individuals organized the Campbell Holton Company. The new company was much like Humphreys, except its staff of commercial salesmen, including Howard, were all stockholders when the company organized.

In 1919 Howard became vice president and director of the company. He retained that position until his retirement in 1941.

Bert Neal

Bert Neal (1899-1972) worked as a chauffer for the Johnson Transfer Company for 19 years before starting a second career as a foreman for the Campbell Holton Company.

For 28 years Bert made sure that the coffee, canned fruit, and vegetables packaged by Holton under the Happy Hour Brand were moved into the warehouse, then labeled and shipped to independent grocers across the Midwest on time.

Metal stamp that has 'Campbell Holton Superway Stores' written backwards on it. — Warehouse laborers working under Bert used this tool to label crates filled with Campbell Holton products.

Donated by: Shirley Neal
888.871

Two thick round brown brushes with wood handles — Donated by: Shirley Neal
888.872

Camel Brand cocoa tin, circa 1915

2010.034.1

William T. Smith

William T. Smith (1887-1964) was an Oldtown Township farmer, but in 1910 he took on an additional job as a traveling salesman with the Heberling Company.

At first he traveled by horse and wagon with a supply of the company’s household remedies, flavoring extracts, spices, toiletries, and other items, which he sold to grocery, drug, and dry good stores in eastern Illinois.

Though most rural roads were still unpaved, Bill was soon driving a truck loaded with Heberling products. In 1921 he earned an average of $150-200 per month. With a solid income he decided to sell the farm and focus on his work as a traveling salesman.

Bill retired after more than 30 years with Heberling.

An illustration of a large building with the words “The Institution Behind the Plan” at the bottom and “GC Heberling Co” at the top of the building.

Advertisement featuring a photo of rows of multiple round metal devices, possibly washing machines, and a man standing next to a vehicle

Established in 1902 by George C. and John Heberling, the Heberling Company packaged a variety of products that were sold wholesale using traveling salesmen. By 1906 the company had 20 employees and was still growing. At one point Heberling employed 500 salespeople in 28 states.

Photo of a green metal can labeled as Heberling's Talcum and Baby Powder. — 99.31

Yellowing glass bottle with red cap and a label that reads: Heberling's Liniment. For man and beast. — Donated by: Karen Downen
2004.54.13

Heberling's spice tins, circa 1940

Donated by: William E. Rolley
838.306-7

George P. Giering

George P. Giering (1878-1942) was a teenager when he got his first job at Klemm’s department store in 1890.

George had to be on the job at 7 a.m. to sweep floors and, in the winter, to get fires going in the coal stoves. Then, laden with packages of all sizes, George trudged all over Bloomington-Normal delivering purchases. He earned three dollars a week. George was promoted to salesman, first of carpets and linoleum, then window shades and draperies.

Portrait of a middle-aged light-skinned man with round black glasses and a suit with skinny black tie. — George P. Giering

Portrait of men and women at work in a clothing store. One man is in a tuxedo, while other men wear three-piece suits. The women wear long dresses that reach the floor. Fabrics are stacked behind them, and clothing is displayed in glass cases. — In the early 1900s fabric departments, like Klemm’s, offered a wide selection of fabrics and notions (thread, zippers, buttons, etc.) for both men’s and women’s clothing. George is pictued on the far left of this circa 1905 interior photograph of Klemm’s.

In 1910 George became manager of the silk and woolen goods (fabric) department. As the department’s buyer, George made trips to Chicago and New York to select the fabrics he believed would sell best.

In 1940, after working at Klemm’s for 50 years, George remarked . . .

“Fashions have changed so much... Where once 20 or 30 yards of material were required for a dress, only three or four will do the trick now.”

George was still working at Klemm’s when he died in 1942.

A thick rod with two metal pieces that slide up and down the rod to measure lengths of fabric. — George and his clerks used this device to measure the amount of fabric on a bolt of cloth. It was much easier than unrolling the entire bolt and measuring it flat.

Donated by: Patty Hume
2015.29

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