The peddlars were people who went door to door selling their goods. Some travelled by wagon and others went on foot. The peddlars who travelled on foot were called pack peddlars.

Another way people sold their goods was by using a catalogue. One of the catalogues available on P.E.I was the Holman's catalogue; another was Eaton's catalogue. The catalogues were just like a book. They weren't as big as some catologues you would get today at a store like "Sears". With these catalogues, you could order furniture, clothes, shoes, tools or anything else that you could use. Holman's would ship anywhere in the Maritimes. Eaton's had a store on P.E.I., and it was one of the biggest ones. The items were displayed much like ours today, but they were in black and white. The items were less expensive, too, because money was worth more then. The way of ordering was different, too, because in the early 1900s, you couldn't just call and order an item and have it shipped in three to five days.

There were also smaller country stores (general stores) where you could get the basic necessities without having to go as far.

Peddler's Horse and wagon on Main Street in Souris, Prince Edward Island, ca. 1940s.
PARO, Acc 2323/P-85