History of Detroit, a chronicle of its progress, its industries, its institutions, and the people of the fair City of the straits, / by Paul Leake ... [Vol. 3]

896

HISTORY OF DETROIT

Albert J., who is manager of the north branch store on Woodward
avenue; and Frank J., Jr., and Marion are both in school. The two
daughters were graduated in the Leggett School and the two eldest sons
were graduated in the Detroit high school. The family home is maintained in a beautiful residence at 54 Ferry avenue, East.
In politics Mr. Towar accords an uncompromising allegiance to the
principles and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor,
and while he is not an active participant in public affairs he gives freely
of his aid and influence in support of all matters projected for progress and development. He is a valued member of the Detroit Board of
Commerce and in a social way is affiliated with the Country Club. In
their religious faith the family are devout members of the Westminster
Presbyterian church of Detroit.
CHRISTOPHER RICHARDS MABLEY. When Dietroit named Christopher
Richards Mabley "The Merchant Prince", it named him well. He
was the first man to start a department store in Detroit, and the name
of his institution soon became a household word among the people of the
city and neighboring towns. For many miles Mabley's store was a
familiar sound to the ear and it was because he gave value received for
the money he took in and dealt fairly with every one. English by birth
and parentage, the son of William and Mary Mabley, he was born at St.
Columb, Cornwall, England, February 22, 1836. When about twelve
years old he came across the ocean with his parents and with them located
at Toronto, Canada, where the elder Mabley was a silk merchant. C. R.
Mabley received his education in the schools of Toronto. Going to Milwaukee, he engaged in the dry goods business with his brother-in-law,
John Bell. Fire swept their business from the face of the earth, the
stock being a total loss upon which there was no insurance. This naturally was a heavy blow to the young man. Not, however, disheartened by
the disaster, he came to Michigan and located at Pontiac where he started
a clothing store in a very small way. lIe had but little in the way of
furniture and no money, and as the rents were very high he was compelled to lease a house supposed to be haunted, because the rent was
within his reach. After seven years at Pontiac where he made and saved
some money, he came to Detroit, leaving his store in Pontiac in charge
of his brother. He sought a location in the City of the Straits near the
old Russell House, and found he could get a storeroom at 126 Woodward
avenue. His friends advised against this as there had been three failures
at that place. Not at all worried by this supposed hoo-do, he rented the
place, started a men's special clothing store and advertised it as "The
Hfoo-do Store," even making capital out of the circumstance of its
former misfortunes, for the idea made a hit and trade fairly flowed in.
I-e then bought the first full page advertisement ever run in the Detroit Free Press. When he sent in his copy the paper at first refused to
accept it as it had been the custom to have the advertisements in a column,
with a line between each. His copy ran quite across the page. There
was a sharp controversy, lie claiming that he had bought the page and
the Free Press taking issue. Mr. Mabley claimed that he had bought the
page and that he could make of it whatever disposition he saw fit. After
much discussion, during which he enjoyed a great deal of free advertising, the paper ran the advertisement as he had written it and as he de
sired it to appear. It brought great results. After two years he took
tha, room on both sides of his original store and materially increased his
business, adding a room once a year until he had control of the entire
block. In the meantime he had taken a store across the street, known as
the IRog Block. This he tore down and built a block of his own. By