J. I. Gardner came to Prescott with a pack train in 1879 and opened his first mercantile store in 1883. The J. I. Gardner Store was built on this corner in 1890. Gardner's motto was "all goods guaranteed to be first class". They carried every type of "general supply and merchandise including fresh fruit and vegetables, coffee, tea and spices, flour, sugar, canned goods, household goods, pots and pans and wallpaper, dress goods and boots, shirts, coats and hats, sheep dip, farming and ranching supplies and toys. Many customers paid in gold, but others paid in trade goods - anything of value including livestock and farm products. Gardner's even had a mail order service, with goods going by train to their destinations, many of which were in remote areas of the country. Today, the Gardner Store building has been adapted for use as a restaurant, at the same time retaining the historic appearance of the bilding and many of the original store fixtures.
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