Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Nathan Weiselman - January 1, 1985

Early Years in America V

You said that uh, it was uh, you and your wife decided that it was your fault.

Yeah. Because I practiced-is it already on?

Yes.

I practiced the old method like it was in my home town, in Radom. Like, for instance, my boss had a big tailor shop with fourteen people working, we made custom made clothing for, women's, all women. Skirts and jackets and topcoats. The only advertisement what he has is about, I would say, inches four by four, a little sign, in the front uh, of, of the, of, of the door from that, that apartment, uh, house. We lived above in the tenth floor by the tailor shop. And he never advertise, and that was enough. Of course I did try to, to, I understood it's should, it's different in America so I tried to talk to some managers of the stores. And to tell them could you talk on the, to the people from the press, from ??? or to the radio, they were over there in the store to tell them I would like to advertise my tailor shop, that I'm a tailor, I do all kinds of new clothing and alterations and so forth. He said you don't need it, this, uh, radio advertisement because a tailor doesn't have to advertise. Business people who sell merchandise, they do have to advertise. So I was thinking that he is right and I took this for granted. After a time, I thought, I analyze, that is, he, he lead me, he did lead me for a pur-for a selfish reason. If I advertise, I would have a lot of more new customers and I would have more work. Then I would be able to tell him, I wouldn't, I cannot afford to spend twenty minutes for a round trip for the alteration because time is money. I'm losing money. He realize this, that the reason he is advise me to do. But after I come to the conclusion after a year of really bad business, that, uh, that I have to advertise. So I ordered a very big neon sign with a board and I did advertise, went to all the radio and the newspaper and advertise in the radio and in the newspaper, and the big neon sign. Even straight away, I had my business was, uh, is rundown street, it was not any retail stores but when people did go through the main street, they still did see the fu-the sign because it reflect. So from that time, it, it change from day and night. As soon I advertise, I have five times as much work and when this manager from the stores called me up, "Maybe you come pick up some alterations." I told him, "No. Time is money. I cannot do this anymore." And then from then on, it-I start to grow and grow and grow.


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