Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
22 May 1894, Tue • Page 3
Remember when you were growing up, and you’d find a prize inside your cereal box? Prizes, premiums and box-top offers have been a staple of modern marketing since the 1800s.
In May of 1894 J. P. Jones, a farmer in Almonte, sent in a club order of $5 for six cans to the Consolidated Tea Company at 145 Sparks Street in Ottawa. In one he found a lady’s solid gold chatelaine (jewelled watch) and in another a genuine diamond ruby and sapphire lace pin solid gold setting.
The Consolidated Co. opened a store at 145 Sparks street, having rented the store for one year, and for for twenty days they sold cans of a choice blend of tea containing souvenirs, such a genuine diamond, ruby, pearl, emerald and sapphire jewellery set in solid gold; also ladies’ and gents solid gold, silver and nickel watches of best make.
The store of the Consolidated Tea, Company, 145 Sparks street, was at different times crowded Saturday, May 24, 1894 with eager purchasers. Hundreds were thrilled as they found themselves the owner of a genuine diamond set in solid gold or a ladies’ or gents’ solid gold watch that was supposedly found in a can purchased for one dollar. Every can contained something — maybe not a gold watch or a jewel– but there was something else besides the tea.
One has to wonder or do we how they could afford such prizes in cans of tea– but it was all about marketing. It was today’s vision of a pop up store– in for a limited amount of time– — make as much money as possible, and leave.
By June things were not going swimmingly for the store and people were complaining and filing complaints to the police that they were bring swindled. In the notes section is one case one one gent who filed a police report complaining he did not get a gold watch. Everyone wants something for nothing and I bet my last dollar those items they were giving away were not real gold or precious stones. But no one made mention of that. They handed over refunds and let people change boxes sometimes– to keep the arguments down. Even the store’s lawyer said they should stop doing such business– but it was their marketing and theirs alone. I could not find anything after June so I assume they ended up closing shop. However, 145 Sparks Street was a space that people came and went except for the Tea Garden. For years and decades there seemed to be a host of businesses.
Speaking of tea, Red Rose issued collectable cards from 1959 to 1975, featuring such things as songbirds, dinosaurs and butterflies. Beginning in 1967, Red Rose also offered figurines to collectors, and continues to do so to this day. If your mom or dad drank tea as a kid, chances are that you had some of those little ceramic tea figurines lying around the house. According to the company’s website, over the years, over 300 million of these little figurines have been given away with tea.
Do you know how the tiny porcelain give away animal started? When sales for porcelain electrical insulators went down, the company needed something else to sell. The figurines were first distributed with tea in Canada in the year 1967. It wasn’t until 1983 that the figurines made their way to the United States.
Sparks Street, O’Connor Street, Garland Building–sources
Library & Archives Canada
When I was a kid, my father used the kitchen bottom drawer and it was filled to the top with-the tops from Mark Ten cigarettes. We had 100s! You could order items from a catalogue in exchange for the coupons. I think all those flap tops got me a small paint by number set LOLOL
The Ottawa Journal
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
06 Jun 1894, Wed • Pag
September 28, 2018 ·
Stéphane McKenzie shares a double shot of Sparks Street, circa 1960, when it was still a summer-only pedestrian mall.
Looks like a set up for a ceremony across from the Centre Theatre on the left, and the corner of Sparks and O’Connor on the right.
That nice building on the right with the Tea Garden Restaurant, would soon be knocked down.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
23 Oct 1926, Sat • Page 3
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
26 Aug 1925, Wed • Page 19
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
02 Dec 1924, Tue • Page 21
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
11 Jul 1913, Fri • Page 6
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Fri, May 25, 1894 · Page 7
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
07 Jun 1879, Sat • Page 4
lindaseccaspina 