Document text
MAKING THE BEST OF IT
Written By:
Mrs. Lola T. Bradley
Research Field Worker
Georgia Writ,rs' Project
Athens
Edited By:
Miss Grece McCune
Editor
Georgia WrIter.s' Project
Athens
IPA Area 6
JsnuNry 5, 1940
January 3, 1940
Yr. and Mrs. James Lewis (White)
120 Springdale
Athene, Georgie
Merch,nts
Bradley
MAKING THF IT OF IT
'That coet fits RP though it had been made for you.
It 10 e wonderful v.lue. You see it has been marked down
below cost and you will be making the mistake of your life,
if you don't buy it.' The customer viewed herself from every
angle in the long mirror.
"Yes, I do like it but even at that prici, it's still
more than I feel able to pay."
'Well,' veld the sleslady, 'since it is Almost Christ
MPS And we pre trying to cut down our etock I'll make another
reduction in price.'
This seemed to retiefy the cetomer, so slipping off the
copt, she sPid, 'Nrep it quick before I change my mind.'
'Now can't I show you solething else?' said the clerk.
'No, I think I've spent enough for one day.'
"Well, I hope you will like your coat, and you certainly
have a bArgain. Come to see us eg,in soon.'
The clerk WAS Mrs. Hattie Lewton. She and her husband own
the J.M. Lawton Cut -Rate Store on Maple Street. It was late one
afternoon nd ner closing time or the day.
As she hyhded the curtomer the rpckage, she looked up
and saw me.
"Well, hello. Just f1nd a seqt ov,r there in the shoe
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department, nd I'll be *ith you in a minute."
As I seated myself, Mr. Lawton c me from the rear of
the store after finishing with a customer.
"We -:re having a little rush of trsde right now. We
almost always do at the end of the dny. When Miss Battle
gets thr,lugh, the clerks arif will strnighten un stock so
she can t-lk to you. She is R better talker then I rm." With
this lcrt rem-rk he looks -round to see if she is listening.
'Now, Jim,' snifi his wife, heard you, but thet's all
ri,#it. Somebody has to talk for the !Emily. I don't know which
is worse to talk too little or too much. My gift -o -gab has
certainly helped, more them once, to ,,;et us out of a bad sit-
uation.'
4hile iting for Mrs. Lawton, I glaneed around the store.
It was flarll, but everything was new, up-to-date, and very net.
on the right was en sr ay of ladies' hats, while in the rear of
this der rtment was the la_les' ready -to -weer. Racks of dresses
and co -to were displmyed. On left ,xere gents' clothings, hnts,
etc. There was a shoe deP -tment where gents', ladies', and child-
ren's shoes were 'fitted to ertiefaction.' While it was not a
large depPrtment stor- where you would find the most exclusive
ratronage, yet the gen ral atmosphere denoted tirift and good
management.
The rush of trae being ovi-r, Vrs. Lwton cme an at down.
'It has been like this all day,' she said, 'one steady stream
of customers. Yes, trade is real good. Of curse, we don't bother
*ith Christmas goods, but it is surprising how much ready-to-wear
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and shoos we soil for gifts.'
Nro. Lawton is a handsome woman, toll and weal pro-
ortionod. Nor almost white hair, always waved and in place,
gives her a rather distinguished appearance. Oho is kind
and obliging, but is decisive in her manner. Oho enjoys talk-
ing and, as she says, is not afraid to speak her mind. Ir.
Lawton is the eprosito. He is not very tall, nor partioularly
good looking, but is agreeable -nd gracious to *very one. Ho
never talks mach, but always smiles and gives assent to every-
thing Hiss Rattle says. It is very obvious that she has the
stronger personality and more initiative of the two.
',eve had lots of ups and downs, and while lots of
people might not like to talk about their*, I don't mind a bit.
In fact, I rather like it. It makes you feel braver and more
like you could weather the storms if they Should some again. It
takes a lot to get me down. I got that from my parents. Oh, I
went to tell you about them, and Jim, he never gets tired of hear-
ing me tell of days way book before he knew we. I cameo from fine
old staunch stock who started thoir manned life on the bottom
rung of the ladder and built up. I think ono thing that's wrong
with married people today, they want too much. They don't know a
thing about struggling to get a start like our parents did. That's
one renson there's so many divers**.
was born in a big, two-story log house down in Cmanuel
County. It would be a valuable house now, since everybody's no
crazy about log bourn.
'Hight after the war my father cam* down from ,Iiheinla to
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teach a little couatry school. His ambition was to be a
lawyer, but be had to teach and study law awhile. Ny mother
went to school to his. I used to sit by the hour and hear
then tell about the funny things that happened.
'Is those days, they used slates, and he would write
notes to her on her slate and rut it on her desk. One day ha
wrote 'Wise florid*, I want to take you home after school.'
A little boy saw it and yelled out, can't read writings
but eat the devil whole, if that's writie.' The school
trustees hoard about it, and told his they would have to quit
going together or ha could give up his job. So they married.
*We built this log house where three children were bora.
Re +parried her there the day they were married. Oh, yes, toe,
he drove a gray horse, hitched to the first buggy ever seen in
that county. Re gave an enter* and soventy.two people sat at the
table at one time to eat. Sometime when you are out at my bowie I
want to show you some of the exquisite silver sent them from rela.
tives in Virginia. They were heirlooms and my mother left them to
me. My father's wedding gift to her was a lovely rosewood square
plane. That's at one of my sisters In South Georgia.
"After he built this house, he bought 1700 acres of land
around it. Got it for a dollar a &ere. Today its the richest
farming 14n4 in that section. Re gave the land for Mt. Pisgah
Church near Coven*. That's the first church I ever,attendidid.
*After they had been serried awhile fathr decided he would
take up his study in law again. So be wont to a law school in
Virginia. *other stayed at hone and held things together and,
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young as she was, she ran that farm. Three st us children
were born While he was still in sehoel. Bother wove all,
tho cloth we used and even made father's emits of clothes.
When he finished law school she made him two omits, olio was
blue and the other brown. Be began his first prelatic, at
Swainsboro, so mother moved there to put us in school. Pother
had his first bought emit when he opened his attic..
"Vntillfatker got established in his practice, mother
opened up a little store and also had a little sewing shop in
the back. She was certainly a fine, smart woman wibth plenty at
A
baskbone. I guess that's ono reason I've teen able to stand up
under adversities like I have.
'Three more ehildron were born while we were living at
Swainsboro.
*People bask in those days were co-operative. Nobody had
mock cash money, so when we eouldn't pay our bills is each we
paid in produos. I remember my mother sowed to pay for my aisle
lesoomm. I wanted to get out and make my own living. I always was
independent and thought I had good business sense. I had a de.
elisd talent for millinery end thought 2 would take that up, for
my linos work. Smneone told as about the Regensteins, a wholesale
millinery house in Atlanta knd auggested that 2 try to get a job
with them. Will, I was fresh from a little country town and had
never fovea Dem to a place as large as Atlanta but comae before is
my life. You sea imagine how I felt. I had lots of serve though
as was net easily discouraged. The first morning I was there
wont armund to see what sr prospects were for a Job. I asked for the
Bradley
bowman, wait is, told his my same and stated my businoss.
'Well, said he using aie from top to toe, why do you
think you can get job here, have you hed say overtones?*
I told hbn I had mot but had a lovo for the work and was
willing to learn.
'Well,* he said, 'Us will take you on and give you a chance,
but I tell you now you will have to work herd,'
*I did work hard and theta no joke. I started at the
bottom. NY first job was to clean u O the work -roes and be general
handy -man to the other workers. After I had been there awhile, I
map allowed to help make hats. Then I was put mi. the floor art a
seleelaty. You U. Jim, that was another time my ability to talk
came in good. My bosses* said I had perfectly good sales talk. When
they thought I had had sufficient training, I was wont over to
Athens to take charge of a mhop here.
°I had a fine job and saved my money. I was working in Athens,
at Smith's at the tine of the fire. I don't *uprose you wars living
here then. Well, this whole end of the business sostion was burned
to the ground. Of course, my job was gone too, so I went bask to the
wholesale hone* in Atlanta. I stayed there a year; then they sent
no to Greensboro, North Carolina, to open a hat shop. I really had
a well shop and while I was only on a salary, it was a good one.
My living 'imams* were paid too, by the company, at the very
finest hotel. So I managed to save most of my salary.
°I forgot to tell you, when I worked in Athens, I net Jim
and was practically engmged to be married. Won, Jim got tired
of having to ease to %roe-ambero to see me, so after about a year
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page.
*ad a half he persuaded me to give up my Job and get serried.
*am was well fixed in a fleassial way se I had nothing
to worry about. We had a aloe hem sad for awhile I was happy
as could be, Just to be a housekeeper. Well, after the novelty
of that wore stf, I balsams diseatiefied. I wasn't accustomed
to living that kind of a life and was simply dying to get back
to publie work.
*FinallyI persuaded Jim to put our savings together and
go in business. Ws 4146 and I want you to know vs had one of
the finest stores ever owned la Athens. We were insooessful in
every way. We dialet owe anything and wore able to diseount all
ef our bills for merchandise. We did a credit business. sad for
long tins that worked well. everybody seemed to have money then
and paid their bills.
*We had no children of our own but that isn't Gayle( vs
haven't had plenty of experience raising children. You remember
my brother Wilton, and the trouble he got into down in South
Georgia. Well. he ran away and left his family and has never
been heard of sines. Re had thrfe little children, who somebody
had to take oars of. $0o we took this, reared then, and gave them
good eduoations. They have turned out well; ono of then, the
boy, has gone right on up in the business world. Re holds one
of the finest salaried jobs in this town. I guess it's a bless.
lag we never had any children of our ova, sines we had these
those to rear.
*Jim and I never did go in so.called fashionable society.
We don't drink, play cards or dance. We did, thougb,belong to
the Civis Clubs and were always ready to help with our money any
Bradley
Pate
enterprim, that was for the good of the town. We are Stemeh
Methodists and at one time hive responsible off tees in the
ohnrOk4 We didn't have to work as hard then as now, so we attend-
ed shisreh and Sunday Sabool regularly but now I'm so tired on
Sunday I've gotten in a terrible, habit of 'Maytag at home,
seeing bask to our baldness, it prospered and we saved
on& mosey, umtll seem me had a substantial bank account. ?hem
we began making other investments. We bought another home on
Bloomfield and moved in it and rented out the one wit moved from.
Than nj father had a stroke of paralysis and ay mother was quite
old, so I moved the* to Athens and bought a small home for theme
ead took eare of then until they died.
"The war ease on, and like everybody else, we prospered.
Merehandiss press went up; in feet, everything was higher but
then there was more money.
"After the war was over there was a terrible slump in
prises. We had stosked our store with kigh-prieed goods Se+
we realized that it was the seas 40n4tt1on with ev•ry one. Sales
began to fall away and we were faced with the appalling fact that
our business was mot making expenses. Is Gould net hope to continue
unless something was done to tide us over. We ley awake one night,
almost all night, trying to doside whet we could de. We finally
sane to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to draw all
of our savings from the bank and get our business in better shape
Up until than we had tried to let the store pay its expenses with-
out this.
'The next morning we went to town with our winds node up.
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When we reached the bastions portion we noticed an unusual
somber of people on the marmot for that time et the day.
They were standing in groups talking in an excited Kanner.
There was great consternation and agitation written on *veiy.
owes faces.
*frine* says I, *what in the world do you emPPees has
happousg? Pull over to the curb and park, I just must find
out. We stopped the ear and almost the first words we hoard
were *Jim, the bank's *looped where did you have your eomerTI
its looked at me sad I'll never forget the expression on his
face.
*flattle, whet will we dot* he said,
Do*, my I, *Wil do like eteelbody else. *Ail de the
best we can. New listen bore, its Lawton, if you think Ism going
to let one bank failure get no down you ifolift know your wife.
I'm not so old but what I *am make more money. Let's got on to
the store.
*Well, that was easier said than done, as I 800111 began
to find out. You knew bask failure news spreads like wildfire.
Soon our creditors began calling on us. They were nice to us
those', and we went ahead with everything alnost against me.
'There followed other bank failures and soon the *hole
town was panicky. People were losing their hone*, savings, and
investments, and no one seemed to know whisk way to turn.
*The excitement was too such for its, for his heart
had been bad for sosetime. The next day he had an attack of
angina peetorle end the doctors put him to bed for a long period.
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Mot only 414 I have the strain of the business alone, but
the anxiety about his condition was enough to floor a braver
person than I. bet I didn't weakon6 I wouldn't even let my-.
self think of ay problems, but jest lived a day at the tine.
"Jim didn't improve very fast, so after talking our
problems over with sone of Our business friends, who were
capable of advising. I deetded to let the store go. I bated
the thought of bankruptey. I guess 2 would bb.ve profited more
is on. '4 Wr taking that etsr. I didn't though. I liquidated,
and divided to ethrt another business on a smaller scale. We
started at the bottom again, but I was willing to de anything
to get rid of seme of our responsibilities and keep Jim from
sorrying. Before this father and nether
both died, so we
rented out our lovely home ready furnished and mowed into this
little setter, I had bought for then.
"This house was not very pretentious but was oonforteble
and was in a desirable section. We were anxious to get another
start in business but where was the capital to come from. We had
lost everything but the house we were renting out and this one
we were living in. We could not borrow any money for the whole
country was shaky. We decided to see if we *mad one of
thee. hones, which was doubtful. The better house was bringing
good rent se we thought that was toe good an investment to lot go.
We really hoped to be able to live in it again some day. As luck
would have it, we heard of an old ample who had little money
and wanted to bmp a small hone for themselves. We thought our
little house would just salt them, so I went to ese then.
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'Tell, the long and Chart of it is we wade the salh4
and that la hew we get a little ea* for our next business
venture.
*Mat oule really lett us without a roof over our hoods
so co had to get busy then sad get* *plaice to live. 1111 I
mower did how any false pride about no mod was determinOd
that somehow, someway, we were going to got on our foot again.
The bost beginning I thought was to out our living expenses
down to a minimum, so I rooted one room right oleo. down town.
and moved in. I storod our furniture that we were mot using
and took just a bed room suit', a row dishes an soaking utensils.
In this en. room we slept, Soaked rind at.. Now this ommilis mighty
poor doesn't it? but you would be surprised to know how oomfort-
ahlo we were sad haw each we had to out. I put the oar away and
didn't are it except to take Jim to the hospital and to plaices
he had to go. I. eouldn't walk much on ascount of his heart.
Mere was talk then of Athens needing another curb market,
so I rented a plus and tried that until I could get another abort
in business. That didn't pas out oo well, as there was one here and
the +competition was to great. So I soon closed that out. Thin I
conoetwed the idea of a desond-hand clothing store, and that was
really the beginning of our reoovery front the depression. I
rented a handing down in a section where rents were oheap and
at first Wed no help, so there was not much overAtesd expense
to it. loll, my story is *fitting long eo I won't go into detail
about that. It was surprising how each I mode thong*. People
took to that like wildfire. The blotter claim of people liked it
Dradley
Pegs 12
bosoms they *weld mill off their old clothes and the poor
liked it boseuso they could buy cheap. I bought and sold
everything from hose to evening dresses. I had solo real
good things too. You would open pour eyes if you knew how many
college boys would eon. in and sell off their clothes. Perfootly
good clothes too. They would get in a tight for spending mow.
I would hnte to buy than, for I couldn't begin to pay the worth
of then.
bought mother store on lain Street. It was not A
second-hand one bat only 'Niteroi to the poorer class of people.
Jim had gotten able to work again, so he took iihe'rge of that ono.
Is had both stores than. After about four years, vs sold out both
at those stores and invested in this one. We sirs really proud of
this store end ve feel that we are really on a good solid found-
ation ones sore.
"Of course it 'oat more to operate this stars than it did the
other ones. Shen vs first opened up Jin and I tried to run it with.*
out any help. Now that was real work, and at tines I would get so
tired t could hardly go. I was still preparing our noels at hone.
That soon proved to be too hard for ne, so vs began eating our
lunch down town. Jim would go out and get his and have nine sent
here to the store.
"Trade soon got so big we couldn't handle it, so we got us
one extra clerk for Saturdays. Then another, a can in the non's
and boy's ado. Soon we took on a maim full tine clerk and she
has been with us a long tine. Of course there *re busy seasons,
like Christmas, raster and the fall when we have to have lots of
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help but wet are trying to keep down over0head oxpensos
ao such as possible. I oertainly do work herd though. I
still gamut lit Jim to worried with wash rosoonsrbilitY So
I go ahead with everything and donut worry his much.
snuedgeao proopiprod so, we decided we oould begin to
live a little less ernedid so we novod baOk into our home
on South Street. We have the s000nd floor rented out and that
helps to pay for the upkoOp out thsro.41
Atout this tine Ir. Lawton walks up.
"Sell, Visa Nettie," he sap', "have you told it all. Yon
have bees talking long tins."
'Wow, Its, maybe you had better talk awhile, may have
t.ft out something.'
'Not no,' he replied, 'you know I'm not amok of talker.'
'Look, Jim,' said Mrs, Lawton,looking out the door, obto
that woman passing out thou.* with her arms full of bundles 0 she
is the one that owes us that great big bill. That's why she deloonut
cone in re any more. I bet she didn't get those paokages on
credit,. There's not a soul in this town I would credit again.
"Book to my story 0 I walnut so popular when I had my
second-hand store down on a side street. Not even in the ohuroh.
Success certainly does sok* a differsnoo. Peoples eyesight must
be improving sines we opened up this now store. They soon to moo
ud at a further distanoo to spook to us than they could Wort.
That doesn't bother moo though as long as we can pay our debts.
"Oh, of course now that we are getting on our foot mad have
more money to *pond, our so0callod friends are °owing arluad to moo
*radii),
P. 14
us ammo. We are invited to Join this, that, snd the other
orgOisation, but I can't be bothered. I hope I'm not getting
imillOsh, but I eve had such a etruggle, not ally finanoially,
but other ways, I'm Just tired I think. /In not dependent on
other people for my happiness anyway.
'I have a lot to be proud of. We are out of debt, we have
a ate. growing business, and even though Jim is net entirely well,
if he takes sire of himself theme's no reason why hi should not
live a long, long time. Why, I've nail out over a thousand dollars
in doctor, bills and medicine in the past two yore. I have good
paidup insurance too that will cams in mighty tine in our old age.
We won't ever be wealthy as the world oounts mon4Y, but we have
enough.
'We are 'weblike spirited too and always vote our conviettons.
We do our pert in our shurch, and our pocketbooks are op,* or
every worthy cause.
"I think a lot about that song you sing for us so such. Jim,
you know the one you are so crazy about. The name of it is "Soar%
0 Mine" and the last vorse goes.
'Tor we knew not every morrow
Sam be sad
j
So forgetting all the sorrow
we have had,
Let is dry away our tsars.
And put by our foolish fears
And through all the coming years
Just be glad.'
Well, that's whit we are trying to do mow, apt ft 91,41.0