When my father, Leo Kraft, purchased Natonal Furniture Company in 1947, he thought that he was buying a going business, complete with inventory. Dad had an opportunity to buy the business from an estate and had done a walk through the area rented by the business seeing that the building was full of inventory. Mom's father had passed away and left her with an inheritance of $2000.00.  Mom and Dad agreed to buy the business. When all  the paperwork was done Dad went to the Estates' Attorney, signed the pappers and put down his money, received the keys and walked (Dad walked with difficulty because he had polio when he was young) the 4 blocks to the building. The windows were all covered with newspaper so that no one could look in. Dad, who was inexperienced in business, opend the door and walked in. He was dismayed to find that there was no inventory only a few furniture clamps, a few tools, some broken furniture and a propeller. Dad hustled back the 4 blocks to the Attornies office and told the attorney that there was a problem; the inventory was gone. He asked  for his money back. The Attorney stated that there was no problem, "Young man" he said, "you purchased the business name, not the inventory." 

He walks back to the store, and sat on one of the few remaining objects, a broken chair.  His new neighbor to the south, Bea Stahmer, came over to greet dad and welcome him to the neighborhood. Bea was a millionair evenback then.He owned Industrial Electric, Omaha Industrial Reel and Wire Works and had many patents under his name. He saw that Dad was worried and asked what was the matter. Dad explained the problem and was wondering how he was going to explain to Mom how he blown their inheritance. Be looked around the store and saw the propeller leaning against a wall. He told dad that one of these das he was going to buy an air plane, and if he were to buy a plane it would surley need a propeller. He offered Dad a hundred dollars for the propeller on the condition that is he did buy a plane within a certain time frame he could sell the propeller back to Dad for the same amount. This became the seed money for Dad to continue on in businness. Over the years the propeller and other items became colateral for many small loans, increasing in value over the years. I last saw Bea in 1978 when he came into our store, stated to me that the propeller was ours but he wanted to pick up the Conquistador Statues that were his. (I had not seen Bea in  over 16 Years). He told me the story of the propeller, exactl as my father had. We had stored the Statues for him wrapped and in a safe place knowing that he wanted them. Bea passed away a few months later. The propeller has hung promentle in our store ever since. I just know that if I am ever in trouble Bea will come into my store and say "you know one of these days I'm going to buy and airplane."