As a researcher and writer, I hope to document not only individuals and specific occurrences from our past, but to also examine what life was like in various periods through different lenses. The goal of this article is to first review some of the early merchandising approaches taken by early merchants that have been documented in earlier articles and then take a close look at “giveaways” or “freebies” as they were used by various businesses.

Twenty years after Edmonds’ incorporation, the town had been officially upgraded to a third-class town with a population of 1,546. Given that couples often had four or more children, it is estimated that there were approximately 200 families in the Edmonds area in 1910. Despite its growth, Edmonds remained largely isolated with transportation alternatives being primarily rail and unreliable steamboats.  Given the isolation, Edmonds’ citizens had to largely rely on the local merchants for their necessities.

The competing store owners conversely had to determine the best way to attract customers and retain their business. The limited customer pool was primarily made up of townspeople, logging camp personnel and visitors who had in most cases disembarked off steamboats.

So, what was the best way to merchandise your products given the isolation and small customer mix?

Author’s note: The goal of merchandising is to increase sales and profits by influencing customer buying decisions. It can also help build brand recognition and customer loyalty.

Elements of successful merchandising in 1900-1920 would have potentially included:

Product selection: Choosing which products to sell and in what quantities

Pricing: Setting prices to maximize profits while appealing to the price concerns of customers

Exterior Displays: Designing signage for the building to identify the nature of the business and to attract customers inward.

Marketing: The creation of newspaper ads and posters to promote specific products

Store displays: Using window displays and interior signage to encourage customers to enter the store and purchase items

Giveaways – freebies: products given to the customer at no cost to thank them for their patronage or to entice/incent them to return to the store.

A quick look at Edmonds early merchants’ stores and their promotions/advertising tells us most of the story regarding their merchandising approaches.

Exterior signage

In previous articles regarding individuals and families who operated a variety of stores in Edmonds’ early days (i.e. L.C. Engel, The Roscoes, The Schumachers, William Kingdon and the Edmonds Hardware Store/Herberlein) we were able to see some of the merchandising approaches they implemented. Photos of stores’ exteriors revealed large advertising signs encompassing the name of the enterprise plus the products they offered.

In the same vein, signage and prominent advertising throughout the interiors of their stores was evident in photos from that time.

Product selection, pricing, promotions and advertising

Product offerings, pricing, special promotions and advertising outside of the store itself came primarily from advertisements in the Edmonds-Tribune Review newspaper, as radio, television, and locally published magazines did not exist.

In many cases the specific targeted ads in the Edmonds Tribune Review were a key element in Edmonds merchants’ long-term success.

Note: The tablet referred to in the advertisement was most likely a slate tablet or a small paper tablet with ten to twenty sheets of lined paper.

Author’s note: Given that the means to distinguish one store from another was somewhat limited, it led me to wonder if there was historical evidence of significant “freebies” or “giveaways” being a part of the early merchants’ sales efforts. Here is what I discovered.

Freebies and giveaways

There were numerous freebies. Most were utilitarian in nature, and most occurred around the holidays.

Utilitarian

In the early 1900s, the primary source for heat and cooking was wood-burning stoves.  To light fires inside of wood-burning stoves, wooden matches of varying lengths were used. One of the giveaways by several merchants was wall-hanging wooden match holders.  These holders were typically hung next to the stove for easy accessibility. Some were equipped with striking pads.

Lengthy 12-inch matches were also frequent giveaways at stores that sold wooden-burning stoves or kerosene lamps. The lengthier matches helped prevent burning your hands as you reached inside pot-bellied stoves to light the fire.

One of the more unique giveaways to loyal customers was by Heberlein Hardware one winter. The giveaway was a unique kerosene lamp that did not have a glass flume attached. Instead, it had a small wick extending upward from a small kerosene container and included metal flaps on three sides of the wick to protect the flame from the wind. This lamp was to be used outdoors primarily, and its apparent main use was to help provide sufficient light so that you could safely walk from the house to the outdoor privy at night.

Another utilitarian giveaway that revolved around wooden stoves were hot pot protectors for wooden tables. The two in the photos below are from the Edmonds Grocery and Delicatessen, which pictured Dutch children. Pots or pans taken directly from the hot stoves would have left burn marks on the tables if it weren’t for protective pads like these.  Many were made of cork or other non-combustible materials.  There was a large Dutch population in early Edmonds, which might have led to the use of the Dutch images on the protectors.

Even the early auto repair shops had holiday giveaways.  The earliest cars came with their own boxes of tools, but they often didn’t have everything a car owner needed or wanted. The Yost Auto Garage had the following chart of available oil cans posted on the maintenance garage wall.

Throughout the year, customers could purchase oil cans of different sizes and shapes. The Yost Garage also provided a free small oil can during the holidays when your car was serviced.

Utilitarian & Decorative:

Calendars were a frequent giveaway, as they are today. Some merchants’ calendars were also meant to be decorative.

Otto’s Market took another similar approach. Year after year,they gave away decorative plates with monthly calendars embossed in the plates’ design.  The plates were mounted on the walls of houses, creating a wall of plates, which was a common then.

Decorative

There were also giveaways that were primarily decorative in nature.  The most common were glass photos with a gold or silver heavy chain acting as the frame and a hook that would help hang the item from a wall.

Large thick paper postcards were also decorative giveaways. These were often later framed and used as wall decorations.

In reflection

There were numerous business failures in the early days of Edmonds.  Some were due to mismanagement or under capitalization, or in some cases they lost out to competition.  From historical evidence, it appears that those who were most successful used a wide range of merchandising tactics inclusive of freebies/giveaways and special promotions.

Author’s final note: I wasn’t sure where to place this last freebie. But the freebie was from one of the early “confectionary and cigar” stores that stated they would provide free of charge a can of Sir Walter Raleigh smoking tobacco with the purchase of 10 cigars.

Thanks go to the Edmonds Historical Museum, the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society and especially Phyllis, an anonymous private collector, Sultan Antique Store and the Kingdon family.