Ensley Hardware corners the aluminum market

So do you suppose any of the aluminum cookware marketed by Ensley Hardware during the great sale of 1921 is still around? Most likely.

The quality of the print job in The Herald-Patriot of Nov. 24, 1921, isn't the greatest --- but you can get the idea of what was going on: A big stock of pots and pans and paraphernalia on sale for one hour in three price categories, 1-cent, 49 cents and 99 cents.

According to the following report, from the Herald-Patriot of the following week, the whole thing was a marketing triumph for George W. Ensley and his son, Charles, proprietors of the store.

Ensley Hardware was located in the south half of the big stone-faced building south of the alley on the west side of the Chariton square with "Ensley-Crocker" still visible high on its facade. So as you're out and about today, try to envision a thousand shoppers lined up at the front door in search of  aluminum bargains.

STORE NEARLY MOBBED

Nearly 1000 People at Ensley's Sale Tuesday Morning

It looked like a house afire on Tuesday forenoon last week in front of the Ensley hardware store. The street was black with autos and the crowd in front of the store was half a block long. the aluminum sale opened at 10 o'clock. The storeroom had been specially arranged to accommodate a rush, but it was soon found that the only way to handle the crowd was by letting a store full in at a time, locking the doors, sending customers out the back way and filling the store again. The representative of the Great Northern Mfg. co., who conducted the sale, said it was one of the very best he had held in a city of this size. In an hour but a few pieces of the large stock remained to be sold.

The sale proves several things: that people are alive to bargains and have the money to buy what they want; that they read the Chariton papers; and that Tuesday can be made a great shopping day as well as Saturday if the inducement is made.

Businessmen in all lines were benefitted by the large crowd brought to town by this sale. Mr. Ensley was greatly pleased at its success.