Few Businesses Last 40 Years, Even in Gainesville

I came across a Gainesville City Directory the other day, and before I could even open its pages the great change in this area's business community became apparent. There were 19 companies that had advertisements on the cover of that 1964 book, and usually one would consider those that had advertisements on the cover to be among the most active businesses in the area. What was immediately apparent and interesting was that of that 19 leading companies from 1964, only six can be found in the current Gainesville telephone book. And those six were not exactly who I would have expected them to be. There was Carroll Daniel Construction, City Ice Company, W. L. Norton Agency, Piedmont Sales Company, State Farm Insurance and Lee Waldrip, Realtor.
There were five financial institutions in Gainesville at that time, all locally owned, and they were the source of financing for much of Northeast Georgia. There was The Citizens Bank, First National Bank and Gainesville National Bank ... and there were two Savings and Loan Associations: First Federal and Home Federal. Not one of those names exists today, although it seems fair to say the banking institutions not only have survived but grown immensely. They are not, however, locally owned, and several new financial institutions have grown up, both in Gainesville and all over Northeast Georgia.
The poultry industry was still in its formative stages 38 years ago, and there were full page advertisements for companies like Georgia Broilers and Poultry Enterprises and there was an outfit named Central Containers, Inc., that sold wirebound boxes and crates. The Direstors dedicated a four=page section to the poultry industry under the title "Broiler Center of the Nation" which pointed out that Gainesville and Hall County had 9 poultry dressing plants, moe than 50 baby chick hatcheries, and 35 feed dealers and mills.
Business historians point out that few enterprises last more than 40 years. The 4 Gainesville City Directory would say that is just about right.
This is Gordon Sawyer, from a window on historic Green Street.