By Fred Z. Salomon, General Manager, May Department Stores Company

From Throvgh The Ages Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 11, March 1924.

(Used with permission, National Association of Marble Dealers/today the Marble Institute of America AMI.)

“The May Department Stores Co. is one of the largest retailers in the United States, operating stores in Akron, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles and St. Louis.  Naturally, where great crowds of people are constantly passing through a store, the question of maintenance is quite a serious one.  Fixtures have to be repaired and replaced, walls must constantly be painted and cleaned, and a small army of people have to be constantly employed making replacements to keep up the appearance of the establishments.

“One of the most serious problems had always been the maintenance of floors in a first-class condition.  For years it has been our custom to use wooden floors, just as thousands of other stores all over the country have been doing.  We had given a great deal of thought to the care of these floors, but had never really thought much about the flooring material itself.  Our experience with them was very unsatisfactory, especially where traffic was heaviest, and it finally was forced upon us that we would have to find some other material that would be more suitable to our needs.  Good business logic suggested that we use a floor covering that was economical in first costs, easy to maintain and safe to walk upon.

“The whole matter of floor covering received our serious consideration from every angle.  Any change, if not satisfactory, would prove a serious expense.  After investigating all materials suggested and comparing their merits and costs, we finally decided on marble.  This was especially necessary in those areas where it was to be subjected to the greatest wear.  It meant, it is true, quite an investment, as all the stores were to have the same treatment.  The store in St. Louis alone required in the neighborhood of fifty thousand square feet.

“As soon as we had decided that marble was the material best suited to our requirements, plans were made to make the change at once, and the work was quickly completed.  The deciding factors in our choice were:  First Cost, Appearance, Cleanliness, Economy, Quietness, Safety and Health.  We are convinced that we have made a wise decision, and selected the material that best complies with the requirements and meets the exactions most fully.

“The First Cost of marble is not prohibitive.  As a matter of fact, when we took into consideration the lasting qualities of this material, we found it to be one of the least expensive materials we could have used.  The wooden floor had to be replaced every three or four years - an inconvenience as well as an expense - whereas the durability of marble is practically unlimited.

“The marble floors add more to the Appearance of the store than any other improvement of equal cost, not only in themselves, but because they enhance the appearance of fixtures and merchandise as nothing else can.

“The floors not only look Cleaner, but are cleaner, because both employees and customers respect their appearance and do not throw paper and trash on them, as they do on wooden or carpeted floors.  Furthermore, it is easier to remove dirt as well as staining liquids from marble.  We have never had a stain on our marble floors that we have not been able to remove without injuring the appearance of the marble.  These stains include red and black ink, shoe blacking, patent medicine, fruit juices and flavoring syrups.

“When we scrubbed our wood floors by hand, it required thirty women working twelve hours to finish the job, and we could only do it once a week.  When we scrubbed the floor nightly by machine, it required ten men, two machines and four and a half hours each night.  Since installing the marble floors, two men do the work every night and do the job well.  So much for their Economy.

“The noise of thousands of footsteps is subdued on marble floors.  They make a Quiet store.

“People do not slip and fall on marble floors when rain and slush are tracked in.  They are Safe floors.

“We notice that the lighting fixtures, inverted bowls, etc., do not need to be cleaned oftener than every three or four weeks now that marble is used.  Formerly they were not cleaned often enough when we cleaned them every week.  This is fairly evident proof that the amount of dust in the air has been materially reduced.  This probably is a direct bearing on the general Health of our employees, in particular, and perhaps of our customers also.

“In addition to these advantages, there are two others worth mentioning.  We had noted that it was almost impossible to make dust-proof the partitions between our show windows and general store.  We have discovered that since putting in the marble floors that our show windows are much cleaner than they were when we had the old wooden floors, due to the fact that no dust remains on the marble to be stirred up and forced through the partitions in the store.  Besides this, we have found that marble adds very much to the appearance of our show windows, and in our St. Louis store we have used marble in some of our more conspicuous windows to enhance their appearance and to display our goods to the best advantage.  On the same principle, we have also used marble bases on fixtures quite extensively within the store.

“Since our highly satisfactory experience with them, we would have no hesitation in recommending marble to any concern that is interested in securing the maximum of advantages in flooring.”