Ten
HISTORICAL AND INDUSTRIAL EDITION OF THE GASTON PROGRESS
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TORRENCE-MORRIS COMPANY
JEWELERS-SILVERSMITHS
EXPERT REPAIRING ARTISTIC ENGRAVING
Among the fine establishments that
gc far toward making up the life of a
progressive little city like Gastonia,
the jewelry store would be sadly miss
ed by all who admire beautiful thinf,s
and the results of skillful and artistic
workmanship. The well kept jewelry
store is by far the most attractive in
the opinion of many and certainly it
is one of the most interesting if con
ducted along modern and up-to-date
lines. Such a place, for instance, as
that of the Torrence-Morris Company,
on Main avenue. This is the finest
store of the kind not only in this sec
tion but in any of the nearby counties
of the Old North State. The splendid
business was first established, it has
steadily increased in volume and mag
nitude until it has reached its present
proportions. The space occupied
covers about 3,500 square feet of floor
space. The main room presents a
magnificent spectacle. From the
show windows, back through the deep
store, are one series after another of
elegant show cases, completely stock
ed with the finest display of jewerly,
diamonds, silver plate, bronzes, art
pottery, cut glass novelties, and
optical goods. Nothing that the most
fastidious connoissuer could call for is
wanting in this really elaborate col
lection of the valuable and the useful.
In the rear of the magnificient store
is the optical parlor devoted exclusive
ly to examining the eyes and fitting
INTERIOR TORRENCE-MORRIS COMPANY—JEWELERS
STORE OF TORRENCE-MORRIS COMPANY. JEWELERS
business was established in 1885 by '-^glasses. These examinations are made
>'jy a registered Optometrist, fee of
:charge. In the optical line every
piece of work carries the firm’s per
sonal guarantee, and these guarantees
have stood the test of more than a
In the long period since the Quarter of a century. Mr. Torrence is
J. S. Torrence and conducted by him
alone until 1904, when it was incor
porated with Mr. Torrence as presi
dent, W. G. Torrence, vice-president,
and W. B. Morris, secretary and treas
urer.
a native of Cherokee county, South
Carolina, and few ,if any, men in the
State known more about the business.
He began business in the smallest
kind of way with a half dozen watches
and a few knick-knacks. Mr. Winget,
the present vice-president, came from
Pineville township. North Carolina,
and is the right man in the right
place. Mr. Morris is the optometrist
of the establishment, and one of Gas
tonia’s wide awake and progressive
young men, being one of the founders
of the Commercial Club. He was born
in Dallas, N. C. Mr. Morris is the presi
dent of the Sherrill Jewelry Company,
of Lincolnton, a director of the newly
organized Home Building & Loan
Association, and a member of the
Masonic fraternity.
Peoples Furniture Company
( INCORPORATED )
The Best of Everything in this Line at
Honest Prices.
Modern merchandising has worked
wonders in many branches of busi
ness life, but in none more so than in
the furniture and house furnishing
line of endeavor. When one considers
that without leaving a store here in
Gastonia he can furnish a home from
cellar to garret completely, and then
pay for the whole outfit either in cash
or by the liberal credit or installment
system, it seems marvelous. Yet it
is true, and the store is that of the
People’s Furni^
splendid eg
far fi
hous
the
bui)
12,000 square feet of floor space; all
of this is crowded with furniture, car
pets, mattings, pictures, crockery,
bric-a-brac, ranges, stoves and house
hold goods of every description, and at
every price. There is nothing like it
to be seen in any other store in this
section, and the fact that these goods
can be bought on easy terms, together
with the additional fact that it is high
class in every particular, has made this
the popular store of Gastonia. The
business was established last January,
with a substantial capital stock, and
the following officers: R. W. Erwards,
president; Robert Baker, first vice-
president; J. Lon Thomason, second
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TtiE PEOPLE'S FURNITUg|^CO.. PEOPLE'S FURNITVlRt CO
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and treas. President Edwards is
a well known South street merchant,
who is full of progressive ideas Vice-
president Baker is quite popular in
fraternal circles, being a member of
the Woodmen and Junior Order of
American Mechanics. He was former
ly with the old John M. Best Furniture
Company, of whom the present firm
are the successors. Mr. Thomason is
also a popular fraternal man, and one
who believes in pushing Gastonia to
the front. Mr. E. Price Rankin, the
ever alive secretary and treasurer, is
a member of the Commercial Club,
and was formerly with the Rankin
Furniture Company for many years.
He is a member of the Odd Fellows.
EXJ’jiI.NSIVK KRTART.TSHMENT_OF THE.PEOPLE’S FURNITTIRF. POMP.UnV
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Splendid
;\NSLEEN
Precious Stones, and
Hand-Painted China--Optical Parlors.
VANSLEEN'S BON TON JEWELRY ESTABLISHMENT
Among the mercantile establishments
that go far toward making up the life
of a progressive little city like Gas
tonia, the jew'elry store would be sadly
missed by all who admire beautiful
as well as useful things, the results of
skillful and artistic workmanship.
The high class jewelry store is by far
the most attractive of all stores in the
opinion of a great many people, and
ccrtainly it is one of the most interest
ing if conducted along modern and up-
tc-date lines, Such an establishment,
f.jr instance as that of Mr. H. M. Van
S’.een, whose place of business is
located on Main street in the center
of the shopping district. This is one
of the most recent enterprises started
in Gastonia, having been established
less than two years ago, and it speaks
well for the enterprise of the pro
prietor as well as for the appreciation
of the people of the city that it is one
of the most successful. Mr. VanSleen
is an expert watchmaker and je^^eler
as well as a graduate optician, haviil^
last July received his certificate from
the board of examiners in optometry
of North Carolina. The optical parlors
are well equipped for the examination
of the eyes of those needing glasses.
Mr. VanSleen carries a well selected
stock of goods from the best makers.
Standard watches from the most cele
brated factories are kept on hand, the
stock of jewelry and precious -stones
is large and attractive, the display of
silverware, cut glass and hand-painted
china attract the attention of lovers
of beautiful articles of this kind, and
nothing has been neglected or left
undone to make this cne of the most
attractive places in town. A full stock
of fountain pens, Roger’s knives, forks
and spoons, wedding, birthday and an
niversary presents can always be
found at this gem of a shop. Mr. Van
Sleen has recently became the repre
sentative here of the Victor Talking
machine, the Victor Victrola, and keeps
on hand all the latest records as well
as many of the old favorites. He is
always glad to have his friends and
patrons call and hear the very latest
thing in music and has been very suc
cessful in handling this branch of his
JEWELRY STORE OF H. M. VANSLEEN
business. Mr. VanSleen is a native
of Holland, and his father and grand
father were watchmakers before him.
He began learning his trade when only
13 years of age and before completing
his apprenticeship came to this country
when 16 y^ars old and finished it here.
He first settled in Iowa and while in
the west attended college and grad
uated in optometry. Mr. VanSleen
then came south and for five years
resided at Moultrie, Georgia, where he
was in business before deciding to
make this city his home.
LEBOVITZ DEPARTMENT STORE,
ONE OF GASTONIA’S BIG COMMERCIAL HOUSES
MR. DAVID LEBOVITZ
When a mercantile enterprise has
been successfully conducted for a
period of over 17 years, keeping the
old patrons and constantly adding now
ones, it is the best evidence that its
dealings have always been fair and
square or it would long ago have been
compelled to go out of business. This
is the enviable record enjoyed by the
firm of D. & L. Lebovitz, who conduct
one of the largest, most complete, and
attractive department stores in Gas
tonia, at 119 and 121 Main street. The
firm is the great family outfitter of
Gastonia and the surrounding section,
and has as patrons some of the first
customers who began to deal with it
when the doors of the old store were
opened in 1894. The stock of men’s,
youth’s, and boy’s clothing, hats, caps,
shoes and furnishing goods, ladies’,
misses’, and children’s ready-to-wear
garments, lingerie, millinery, laces,
embroideries, ribbons, dry goods,
skirts, waists, hosiery, toilet articles,
notions, shoes and slippers, is most
complete. Nothing is carried over
from season to season, the policy of
the house being to dispose of every
thing by the time the season closes,
no matter w'hat the sacrifice, and re
place it with an entirely new stock.
Mr. Lebovitz came here from Balti
more in 1894, when Gastonia was
scarcely more than a village, and
opened a general dry goods and cloth
ing store on the site of his present
handsome building, one of the most
substantial on Main street. He began
on a comparatively modest. scale in
one of the first brick buildings that had
been built in the town, a one story
structure, fronting 25 feet and extend
ing back a distance of 80 feet. Six
years after coming here he married,
and made Mrs. Lebovitz a member of
the firm as well as a partner of his
joys and sorrows, and she is today as
active in the business as he is him
self. Two years ago the old building
was torn down, and the present hand
some Lebovitz 'building, built after
their own ideas, was erected and is an
ornament to the city. Well lighted,
ventilated and arranged, fronting 45
feet on the principal street of the city,
and extending back a distance of 96
feet, it makes a model store which
would be a credit to any city many
times the size of Gastonia.
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LEBOVITZ DEPARTMENT STORE