Page 338 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

most of them needed blinds which would keep out the sun but let in the light
and air.

MarthaHopkins’Exchange HelpsPayTuition

A

LTHOUGH fifty-five years old, Martha Hopkins was a youthful, active
person—one who had never lost her zest for adventure. She figured she might
have a chance to make enough money to help pay her niece’s college tuition
by starting a woman’s exchange in the “second best” parlor. As she belonged
to the Woman’s Club, was active in church work, attended lectures,
community meetings, and was well known in her community, it wasn’t long
before everyone in that part of town knew about her “Exchange.”

For the sale of her neighbors’ antiques, she received a commission of 25 per
cent. In some cases when a customer lacked the ready cash, Martha Hopkins
would accept a piece of furniture, a picture or something else of value, which
together with a small sum of money, would pay for the coveted item. There
was much bargaining, but Mrs. Hopkins was a “born” trader. The
“Exchange” soon began to pay and if you asked her why she succeeded she
would answer: “Well, I guess I just like to sell—and I like to buy, too. Then,
of course, I know so many people; my father, you know, was a pioneer in this
section of town. He was a doctor, so we came to know about every old family
around these parts. But I believe the real reason is that everyone has
something he doesn’t want which someone else would like to have. This is
really just swapping—and swapping is as much fun for grown-ups as for
youngsters.”

Five Dollars a Day Stenciling House
NumbersonCurbstones

B

ACK in 1937 it looked as if two students, Ralph and George, at Northwestern