On Tue, 15 May 2007 12:08:28 CST, AngelaTC
wrote:

Nick Cramer wrote:
Angela wrote:
I had to move away from my pond, and I go through withdrawal every
spring. Peeking around at some simple set-ups i stumbled across this:

http://www.wards.com/wards/prod_disp...partner=12&CP=
00&pp=yes&afsrc=1&placeID=mwem051407

I know this is a bit off topic, but is this the ugliest ad for a
prefab pond you've ever seen or what?

Be kind, my dear. After all, it is from Montjunkery Wards!

(I'm the OP - just not on Google this time)

I always liked MW when they were brick and mortar. I didn't realize they
were even around in any form until I saw that.



I believe they were catalogue for a long time before they were brick
and mortar. Certainly most of their business was catalogue up into
the late 50s and the 60s. It was the one place most isolated farms
and even towns could order stuff that was otherwise not available.
Like stoves and bicycles and many other things. Sounds strange now
that the Web is around, but the catalogues came first and everyone had
a Wards or Sears catalogue (or both around the house). They were
often called dream books or wish books. When the new one came out,
the old one went to the outhouse to be used for reading there and for
toilet paper. Then brick and mortar Sears and Wards came to the big
cities and finally to some towns. Then they started to charge for
their catalogues unless a certain amount had been purchased through
them the previous year. Then they stopped the catalogues. Then they
(Wards at least) sold out the businesses to some other large company.
All that's left is the name now.
--

r.bc: vixen
Minnow goddess, Speaker to squirrels, willow watcher.
Almost entirely harmless. Really.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli