KC clothiers in a corset war? Straw hat coloring? Looking back at 1915 newspaper ads
Editor’s Note: Retro Retail Review is a new video feature that publishes weekly on kansascity.com. Join us for a lighthearted look back with The Star’s Randy Mason as he shares his takes on the advertisements that filled the paper’s pages all the way back to its earliest days.
Looking at newspapers from one hundred years ago, one thing is immediately apparent.
They contained very few photographs. But the illustrations were often amazing. Both in the stories, and the advertisements that surrounded them. .
This week, the ”Retro Retail Review” finds lots of salesmanship on display in the Star’s April 8, 1915 edition.
For one thing, Union Station was brand new. There’s a full-page ad touting the city’s “magnificent reception hall, where Kansas City says ‘how do you do?”
It then goes on at length urging residents of nearby towns to hop a train and partake in “Suburban Day” sales downtown every Wednesday.
Among the stores that advertised heavily in the Star was the John Taylor Dry Goods Company on Petticoat Lane, one of the city’s oldest clothing shops. Turns out they were also part of a “corset war” with Vye Davis down the street..
Automobiles were just starting to hit their stride, and the number of different dealerships vying for attention is striking. Especially, in the names of so many makes and models that soon fell by the wayside.
Studebaker, sure. But in that spring day’s paper, Paiges, Maxwells and the Chalmers Six all looked equally ready to go the distance.
Same with Diamond Squeegee Tires and the Nobby Treads that those early autos rolled upon.
Reviewing vintage ads can also be a good way to learn new tricks. For example--with a product called Colorite, you can color your old straw hat to get another year of wear. And hey, it’s “easy and durable!”