LET'S GO SHOPPING--1885 STYLE

An interesting part of going through the old Sentinel newspapers is exploring the advertisements. I am sure most of you haven't had the opportunity (or perhaps the desire) to see what you could shop for in those “good old days.”

This month, let’s go shopping in 1885 in downtown Morrison. First, we need to check the October 22 Sentinel to see what is available. Maybe we could have had most of our Christmas shopping done by now.

The Famous Store, the one-price, cash, boot and shoe store, has just opened. It sells shoes and boots of all kinds. They have children's shoes at 75¢ and up, women’s "artics" (boots) at 90¢, and men's rubbers at 5¢.

The place for men to shop for that new suit is at Charles Borman, "The Popular Morrison Tailor." He was the father of Morrison's well-known High School math teacher, Mabel Borman. If you can't find what you want there, try Hollingshead and West, the one-price clothier. Of course, you could go to Brown Brothers to buy a suit, priced from $4.00 to $12.50, and they have overcoats--elegant, but cheap.

Women, you could try Snyder and Co. They have handmade shoes for the ladies and cloaks--plushes, jersey, burette cloth, beaver, etc. Or if you want to make your own, try D. P. Spears and Sons. They have all kinds of material 2 1/2 yards wide. For that cold weather, select flannel and merino wool underwear. You can also shop for new carpet while you are there.

Perhaps you want a gift that is more elegant. Try S. M. Ladd for watches, jewelry, and spectacles. If you don't find what you want there, go up the street to F. V. Johnson, at the "Red Front," wherever that is. Oh, yes, it is across from Shaw's Furniture Store, wherever that is.

If the prices are too high at Ladd's, then the Red Front is for you. The advertisement says they are cheaper than anyone else in the county. The ad placement doesn't seem fair to the Red Front, because it is located next to an ad for H. H. Griffith, dealer in dead hogs, hides, grease, and bones. Perhaps, we had better move on.

A. C. Smucker has Minnesota flour and groceries that are always fresh. At H. A. Boyd's Central Meat Market, you can purchase all kinds of meat--buy it by the slice, the chunk, or the quarter. (I'll take that quarter in the back of the display case, and could you carry it out to the buggy for me?)

There is an interesting ad for Artford Brothers’ "The Bee Hive." You can buy working, driving, or husking gloves as well as tinware, handkerchiefs, collars, and cuffs. They have great bargains at their 5¢ and 10¢ counter. Evidently sales at the bargain counter weren't great. The next week’s issue of the Sentinel had the following item: "The Bee Hive Notion House of this city was closed by the sheriff for the benefit of the creditors, last Saturday." I wish I had bought some of those bargain handkerchiefs!

There are some things advertised in the local newspaper that you had to send away for. With no UPS or FedEx, you had to wait a few days. Do you have rheumatism? Get a cure for just $1.00 a bottle from A. H. Mueller in St. Louis. If that doesn't do the trick try Mishler's Herb Bitters. It cures aches and pains, kidney and liver complaints, malaria, dyspepsia, etc. The ad says this product is simple and harmless. I don't see any money-back guarantee. You can also order Athlophores, Carter’s Little Liver Pills, and--how about this one--Dr. Woods’ Worm Destroyer. These would make unusual stocking stuffers, don’t you think?

Back to Morrison for local solutions to your health problems. Got a toothache? Go see Dr. Kennedy, located above Spafford’s. He extracts teeth WITHOUT PAIN with the use of Nitrous Oxide gas. If your teeth have been extracted, then go to F. V. Johnson, who is now making false teeth for $6.00 per set; the former price was $10.00. Another thoughtful stocking stuffer.

After all of this Christmas shopping, perhaps the place we gentlemen really should go is to the Buffalo Saloon. There we can get liquor, foreign and domestic, or maybe a beer while we play pool on their new, Brunswick pool table.

Happy shopping in today’s Morrison and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(by Orville Goodenough, Guest Columnist)