After the Great Fire, a jeweler rebuilds
While Seattle recovers from the devastation of the Great Fire, a local watchmaker pivots to new inventory to serve the city’s rebuilding efforts.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Albert Hausman wishes to announce to the people of Seattle and vicinity that all stock that was in his store at the time of the fire is being sold regardless of cost. He wishes to state that, intending strictly to be a dealer in watches and jewelry, he decided to dispose of the same at any price to clear the market, and is now laying in an entire and complete new stock. His first shipment arrived yesterday. A large list of ladies' and gent's gold and silver watches and clocks, together with a fine assortment of diamonds, were not destroyed. The elegant stock of diamonds that were much admired by the ladies of Seattle are among the items available. He will only continue this sale until they move into their new quarters at the corner of Front and Cherry, which will be a substantial building. Mr. Hausman’s store is arriving every day with the latest of novelty and designs. A large variety is always to be found in his store.
“It is good business policy to advertise nothing but facts.”
This advertisement appeared in May 1889, just before the Great Seattle Fire of June 1889 reduced much of the city to ash. The urgent scramble to sell fire-damaged goods and secure new storefronts captures the fragile, high-stakes nature of doing business in a boomtown that was literally waiting to burn.
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