“Bah!” as would say the sapient ‘Advertiser,’ –

When will old Sarum’s silly ones grow wiser?

John Lentell of Hunter’s Lodge

February 21st, 1968

“The great, the good, throughout the land,

Extol the deeds we’ve done,

And call us to complete the work

We’ve gallantly begun.”

John Lentell of Hunter’s Lodge

February 20th, 1968

Some years ago the Rhodesia Herald and Sunday Mail found it necessary to divide the Personal Column into two sections – “Domestic” and “Business” and the Advertising Dept. has been subjected to some pressure for permitting me to use the Domestic section with the names “Barum & Sarum” appended. I feel that my words would be wasted in the Business column so pending some satisfactory solution to the problem I cannot continue writing ‘pieces’. This truly saddens me. If you should have any feelings about the matter, or suggestions to make, please drop me a line. I know that the Advertising Manager would welcome some assistance in overcoming what is for him a very real problem. Au revoir.

J.L. – B. & S.

January 23rd, 1968

Confronted by insurmountable problems I must, without further delay, sadly and reluctantly close both town shop and factory. I will reopen Hunter’s Lodge as soon as possible. These daily ‘pieces’ have, ironically,  brought in a volume of business sufficient to sustain us but staff and labour problems (black and white!) have not been overcome.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

(Note for Printer: If for one reason or another this should be delayed – PLEASE CONTACT FOR ALTERATIONS.)

January 23rd, 1968

Whatever your reaction, you read them. Do you not?

J.L. – B.S.

January 20th, 1968

Surely there cannot be another business which daily receives such pleasurable doses of favourable comment and spontaneous praise. This fund of goodwill has increased enormously wince we began taking the public into our confidence. Candour confuses some and strangely angers others but it can only, in the end, be to good advantage.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 19th, 1968

Our factory is chock’-a-block with challenge for the imaginative, creative, perceptive and responsive person who can relate his talents to the economic realities of what is unavoidably (!) a commercial enterprise. I need someone who can ensure high quality and a good steady output of new and restored or modified articles of furniture and like products. The vacancy is in the woodworking, spray painting and polishing section. No two days are ever the same and age is irrelevant but he must know what he is doing.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum.

C.A.B.S. Basement, First Street.

Phone 25790 (C.A.B.S)

23673 (Factory)

P.O. Box 2679, Salisbury.

January 18th, 1968

I need either a ‘working partner’ who would handle administration and accounts and who would invest a sum of money in the business; or, alternatively, I can employ a man able to carry out these duties and invite additional Capital from ‘sleeping’ shareholders.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 17th, 1968

Words almost fail even me when I try briefly to describe recent ‘happenings’. Reaction to these ads has been widespread and varied. On the one hand I have had an old ‘friend’ rush his messenger around with a ‘blue letter’ (a threat to prosecute) unless I paid an account within two days! Conversely, a man whom I have met only once and who is the head of a large trading concern personally telephone with sympathy and understanding and was, of course, given my personal assurance that financially I would ‘cope’. This sympathy and understanding is to be expressed in a practical way through the purchase of some furniture . That’s life and them’s people!

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum – C.A.B.S. basement, First Street.

Phone 25790 (C.A.B.S.) 23673 (Factory) P.O. Box 2679, SALISBURY.

January 16th, 1968

Whatever else happens here we have to vacate C.A.B.S. basement by long standing agreement in March / April – it is to be used by C.A.B.S. themselves for another purpose.  Finding suitable premises in as good a position has so far proved impossible. We plan, in any event, to reopen Hunter’s Lodge with the emphasis upon antiques and I am looking for a suitable person to fill a managerial vacancy.

J.L. – B. & S.

(Note for printer – to follow normal PIECE).

January 16th, 1968

GL note: C.A.B.S. stands for Central African Building Society, still around today: http://www.cabs.co.zw

The response to these daily ‘Pieces’ has been such that it seems unnecessary to contemplate any other form of advertising and the introduction of them definitely marks a favourable turning point in our career.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum – C.A.B.S. Basement, First Street.

Phone 25790 (C.A.B.S.) 23673 (Factory). P.O. Box 2679, Salisbury.

January 16th, 1968

Sorry the shop did not open on Friday. It lacked both management and staff and I also faced a crisis at the factory. It was simply a question of priority.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum – C.A.B.S. basement, First Street.

Phone 25790 (C.A.B.S.) 23673 (factory). P.O. Box 2679, Salisbury

January 15th, 1968

Collectively and individually and for good reason we often use the phrase “Charity begins at Home”. It would do us no harm to ponder a version which continues – “and it usually ends where it begins” or the more valid  (?) – “Charity begins, but doth not end, at home”.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 14th Jan, 1968

Eccentric as I am (!) and gimmicky as this advertising is in concept, it has essentially to be truthful – if for no other reason than you do not know where deviation from truth will end. If you tell a lie you might have to remember it until the day you die – if you tell the truth you can comfortably forget about it.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 13th, 1968

Somebody ought to be making and selling egg-timers (the flowing sand type?) for use with the telephone when you ‘dial-direct’. The S.T.D. (subscriber trunk dialling) service is wonderfully advanced for such a young country but it can ‘cost a fortune’ through excessive use (or absue!). The Post Office will by request disconnect it which is a fact not widely known!

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 12th, 1968

Ten years married today! Three children and (with confidence in a growing Rhodesia!) we might well, God willing, have three more.

J.L. – B. & S.

(Note for printer – please ensure this follows the normal PIECE).

January 11th, 1968

More ideas in my head than I know what to do with, so here are some for free! Edible string and edible meat skewers, flavoured with mustard etc for the joints. Also, some gadget for evenly injecting salt and pepper into boiled eggs before they are cracked open.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 11th, 1968

With the glass paperweights mentioned on Friday 29th December we found some 25 year old genuine onyx and marble pen sets with 14ct gold nibs and they are being offered from 19/11d upward. Do you think they sell at these silly prices? Not on your life! Perhaps we should double the price as we did with the paperweights. I suppose some synthetics could conceivably be worth more than the genuine article but surely not in the case of marble and onyx. I really do have a lot to learn about the retail trade!

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 10th, 1968

Despite assets more than adequately in excess of liabilities I might have to close down this business because of staff and cash problems. To the layman this will sound absurd but it is perfectly true (and I am not feeling sorry for myself or crying on anyone’s shoulder!). For many reasons, not least those which are pleasurably intangible or abstract, such a course of action would be regrettable. I choose to air these facts freely; firstly because I am, for better or worse, made that way and, secondly, it is not a ‘back-yard’ business as so many imagine and it cannot lightly be undertaken by any old ‘Tom, Dick or Harry’. It might seem opportune for some enterprising person or group of persons to pick up where we leave off but it takes a lot of cash (at least £30,000 so far) and not a little acumen. Just as our name is becoming known, just as our ideas begin to penetrate and just as our sales begin to substantially improve, we find ourselves in the grip of a vicious cycle of obstacles and problems. We are short of cash and short of staff and, ironically, we are short of cash because we are short of staff. We could employ additional Capital to meet our cash needs but it’s a bit daft doing that if capable, trustworthy, generative staff for office, shop and factory are not obtainable with the experience and of the calibre to meet our particular needs. I would ‘give my right hand’ for a few more employees such as ‘Skilly’ du Bois (now running the factory, founder and formerly owner of Wilrose Upholsterers), or Helen Gillespie (secretary, shorthand typist and bookkeeper – now unfortunately for Rhodesia in England) or Teresa Clatworthy (now worthily in partnership at Terra Nella – a Salisbury concern). The added trouble is that there is only one me – although some are no doubt thankful for that!

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 9th, 1968

If YOU find yesterday’s piece hard to believe come and tell me so or ask someone who know’s me well if I am inclined to blatant distortion of fact.

John Lentell – Barum & Sarum

January 8th, 1968