August 10, 2017
This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County
Historical Society.
Today’s
story is about a business that lasted longer than expected.
In August of
1891, a little stock of goods was uncrated and placed on sale in what was
formerly a barber shop in the Bartell House block in Junction City. There were prophecies by locals that the
business would most likely last only a week or two – well perhaps as long as a
month. But the goods were bought right and sold right. During the first day of the opening of the
store, over one-tenth of the whole stock was sold out, showing to the
proprietor that the people of Junction City knew a good thing and appreciated
it. Fifteen years later, the Racket
Store, as it was called was still growing.
The store was expanded several times until it had become one of the
leading stores in the state with sales of up to about $150,000 a year. The Racket Store owners claimed that their
success was due to good reliable merchandise at the lowest possible prices and
their policy of taking back any article that was not satisfactory with a full
refund. They claimed to make friends of
their customers and did all they could to let them know their patronage was
appreciated. Junction City’s Racket Store remained in business on Washington
Street until well past WWI – well past the time naysayers had expected.
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