This Week in Odessa History

Marketing and merchandising might be a lost art in Odessa and most other small towns today.

There was a time when there was something other than a “you see what we have” attitude to selling. Merchants and service business aggressively sold to their customers. Even here in Odessa, they made shopping interesting, not a chore.

The June 8, 1934, issue of The Odessa Record reported on a forthcoming trade day, to be held the following day, Saturday, June 9, which offered free gifts to shoppers, as well as bargain priced merchandise. Keep in mind, this was the height of the Great Depression, so while...