Cross Signs
We Make Them Hot and Fresh Everyday
In the current issue of "Reminisce" There is this a story I thought was good. Check out what a sign painter could do for $25.00 back then.
Just out of basic training at the end of World War II, my father-in-law, Robert Furgason, needed a job. I’m not sure how the idea took seed, but Dad decided to sell popcorn. Building materials were hard to come by, so Dad made his wagon entirely out of recycled items. A pingpong table became the floor, a Model T frame was the chassis, and the sides were made of Masonite walls with removable screens. A traveling sign painter added color and class for just $25.
Dad asked his Uncle Harry to cosign a $100 loan for the roaster and popper, and then he was in business—and business was brisk! During his first weekend, Dad made enough to pay back the loan. He sold his popcorn for 10 cents a small box, 25 cents for a family-size box. He also roasted peanuts, which cost 15 cents. The prices never changed during the seven years Dad owned the wagon.
The wagon was movable, but it mostly stayed in one place: across from a lively park where dances and picnics were often held. On a busy night, Dad would make at least $100, selling to a line that stretched quite a ways. His humble business, combined with the GI Bill and his day job at a lumberyard, paid his way through college.
Eva Smith-Furgason • Ironwood, Michigan
Just out of basic training at the end of World War II, my father-in-law, Robert Furgason, needed a job. I’m not sure how the idea took seed, but Dad decided to sell popcorn. Building materials were hard to come by, so Dad made his wagon entirely out of recycled items. A pingpong table became the floor, a Model T frame was the chassis, and the sides were made of Masonite walls with removable screens. A traveling sign painter added color and class for just $25.
Dad asked his Uncle Harry to cosign a $100 loan for the roaster and popper, and then he was in business—and business was brisk! During his first weekend, Dad made enough to pay back the loan. He sold his popcorn for 10 cents a small box, 25 cents for a family-size box. He also roasted peanuts, which cost 15 cents. The prices never changed during the seven years Dad owned the wagon.
The wagon was movable, but it mostly stayed in one place: across from a lively park where dances and picnics were often held. On a busy night, Dad would make at least $100, selling to a line that stretched quite a ways. His humble business, combined with the GI Bill and his day job at a lumberyard, paid his way through college.
Eva Smith-Furgason • Ironwood, Michigan
