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Hot Bricks and Other Services continued of trends created his - "At the Sign of the Saw." That saw and the slogan were to be a part of Belleville business until the time came that symbols for identification were replaced by words and names and, in that spirit, in 1946 the saw came down and the store adopted its present slogan instead: "Quality at Fair Prices." It is interesting to reflect that the wheel of history appears to have turned full circle since then. Pictorial symbols have reappeared as international descriptions, particularly in traffic regulation, while the knowledgeable advertiser invents "logos" for those who have no time to identify a business by its full name. INCORPORATION D ^ \~j Meanwhile, at 250 Front Street, Walker took on a partner to cope with his increased sales and, in keeping with modern business methods and the need to meet legal and government demands for a defined accountability, the business was incorporated in 1923. The stock was also following the demands of a growing Belleville, displays of builder's hardware and building supplies took up more and more space. Ten years passed and a new look in the hardware retail industry began to emphasize smaller and more sophisticated items that the people of Belleville, now a less rural and more professional community, could use as personal gifts. By 1938 the hardware suppliers were featuring suitable stock items and the appliance market was important to every dealer. 1939, the beginning of the war, was also the beginning of limitation to the manufacture of the more decorative offering to the stores customers. But the supply did not dry up completely and Walker's were still able to satisfy its regular customers. This period was a time of change for the old store in another way. Its present owners under the majority control of Wilbur Fox, had bought the business from Walker's incorporation. The period of the war enabled the new owners to consolidate and plan for the post-war years. In common with all other business, the end of the war brought changes to the hardware trade. Not only had the stock on the shelves and counters evolved into items which John Walker would not have recognized, but the sales staff itself also reflected a post-war change in individual priorities. The old concept of dedication to a career as a ..NO