Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MERCHANTS' TEA COMPANY
MERCHANTS' TEA COMPANY. Based in New York, the company in 1885 opened a branch store in Dubuque at 679 Main Street. Their teas and coffees were packaged in paper "cans;" coffee and can weighing three pounds and tea and can weighing 1.5 pounds. (1)
As a means of advertisement, souvenirs were offered in every can ranging in value from ten cents to fifty dollars. After thirty days, the coffee or tea was sold without the souvenir. A list of prize winners was shown. (2)
In 1886 the same company ran into trouble in Burlington where $500 in cash and the entire stock of tea, coffee, and jewelry were displayed in the window. After checking, it was found that none of the boxes contained more than ten cents although advertisements had promised between ten cents and fifty dollars. (3)
The company closed its doors in Dubuque on May 20, 1889. (4)
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Source:
1. $1.00, The Dubuque Herald, October 6, 1885, p. 4
2. Ibid.
3. "The Merchants Tea Company," The Daily Herald, March 9, 1886, p. 1
4. "Local News in Brief," The Herald, May 21, 1889, p. 4