This is the Very First Business Owner to Dress Up as Santa

I used to love going to get my picture taken with Santa when I was a little kid.

But have you ever wondered how the tradition of kids getting pictures with Santa got started? Or have you ever wondered who was the first person to do this?

Well, you’re about to find out.

James Edgar was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1843.

He arrived in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1878 and opened up a dry goods store there on Main Street.

It All Started with an Idea to Drum Up More Business

He would have lived a life of obscurity except for one thing: an idea he had one Christmas in 1890.

You see, he wanted to bring in more business during the Christmas season and so he came up with the idea to dress up as Santa Claus in his store.

The crowds that showed up surprised Edgar. Within days, children began flocking to his store.

In fact, the news spread so far that kids began to show up from as far as Boston and Providence. 

He discovered that they had come by train just to see Santa.

Because of this, Edgar is credited as the first business owner to dress up as Santa.

And malls and department stores around the U.S. carried on this tradition ever since.

Entering the Conversation in Your Prospect’s Minds

The brilliant thing about Edgar’s idea was that he tapped into the conversation that was already going on in many of his prospect’s and customer’s minds (conversations about Christmas and Santa) and figured out a way to enter that conversation.

Robert Collier famously said it this….

“You want to enter a conversation that’s already existing in your prospect’s minds.”

-Robert Collier

With so much going on nowadays and so many distractions, any way you can break through the static is a HUGE benefit for you.

Doing this is like giving you, your product, or service a little “hook” to hang on in someone’s mind. 

It’s the power of association.

It’s time for you to associate your business with what is already on the minds of your prospects and customers. The question is: How will you do that?

(Example: I am doing that with this article.)

Maybe He Really WAS Santa?

One last thing…

Not only was Edgar a smart businessperson, but he also was extremely generous.

According to Elaine Allegrini...

“Edgar shared his good fortune, paying for children’s medical care, offering jobs to youths in need. and passing out pennies to children who came to his store.”

Isn’t that awesome?

Maybe he was the real Santa in disguise as a store owner? 🙂

Source: James Edgar (wikipedia) | Enterprisenews.com | Photo by Rochelle, just rochelle