Advertising Folding Table
2011.81.1
Donor: Linda Norman
 
 
Companies putting their name, logo and tag line on billboards, city buses, match covers, coffee mugs, etc. is nothing new.  Getting your name out there as a business is an important step to success.  In some cases, when the business goes out of business it is all that is left; and these reminders fill our storage shelves at the museum.   Once in a while one of the pieces stands out from the rest.  This 1950s wood folding table is one of those pieces.
 
Imprinted on the top is the name and phone number of 57 Bentonville and Rogers businesses.  That’s right Bentonville and Rogers businesses and that is where the mystery begins.  Rogers and Bentonville are separate cities and always have been; in fact, early Rogers residents prided themselves on stealing the railroad from Bentonville.  In recent years, the rivalry has been maintained by disputes over the boundaries of the cities near the Pinnacle Hills area.  Yet, this table would suggest that at some point there was cooperation between the businesses in both cities. 
 
A small clue is in one corner that reads in part “Over 2000 Clubs Have … Money and …”.  And here lies another mystery.  The message implies 2000 clubs worked together, but only 57 of them are on our table.  So, how many more tables are out there?  But the larger question is who or what got 2000 local clubs to advertise together.  Of course, even today some of the advertisements found on coffee mugs or t-shirts help raise money for charity and businesses advertise together at local festivals; but what was the cause that created this table.   And here in lies the reason for this article.  We need your help.
 
We like to have as much of the story as possible about the objects within our collection.  The information helps us tell the story of the object, but also Northwest Arkansas.  So if you know anything about this piece, please let us know.