On
May 1, 1889, Asa Candler published a full-page advertisement
in The Atlanta Journal, prohis wholesale and retail drug business
as "sole proprietors of Coca-Cola ... Delicious. Refreshing.
Exhilarating. Invigorating" Sole ownership, which Mr. Candler
did not actually achieve until 1891, cost a total of $2,300.
By 1892, Mr. Candler's flair for merchandising had boosted sales
of Coca-Cola syrup nearly tenfold. He soon liquidated his phan-naceutical
business and focused his full attention on the soft drink. With
his brother, John S. Candler, John Pembertorfs former partner
Frank Robinson and two other associates, Mr. Candler formed
a Georgia corporation named The Coca-Cola Company. Initial capitalization
was $100,000.
The trademark "Coca-Cola'', used m the marketplace since
1886, was registered in the United States Patent Office on January
31, 1893. (Registration has been renewed periodically.) That
same year the first dividend was paid; at $20 per share, it
amounted to 20 percent of the book value of a share of stock.
Every year since then, dividends have been paid on the Company's
common stock.
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A firm believer in advertising,Mr.
Candler expanded on Dr. Pemberton's marketing efforts, distributing
thousands of coupons for a complimentary glass of Coca-Cola.
He promoted the product incessantly, distributing souvenir fans,
calendars, clocks, ums and countless novelties, all depicting
the trademark.
The business continued to grow, and in 1894, the fust syrup
manufacturing plant outside Atlanta was opened in Dallas, Texas.
Others were opened in Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California,
the following year.
In 1895, three years after The Coca-Cola Company's incorporation,
Mr. Candler announced in his annual report to shareholders that
"Coca-Cola is now drunk in every state and territory in
the United States"
As demand for Coca-Cola increased, the Company quickly outgrew
its facihties. A new building erected in 1898 on Edgewood Avenue
at College Street (which later became "Coca-Cola Place")
was the first headquarters building devoted exclusively to the
production of syrup and the management of the business. Mr.
Candler hafled the new, three-story structure as "sufficient
for all our needs for all time to come" It was inadequate
in just over a decade.
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Ornate
leaded glass chandeliers loaned to soda fountains for decorative
purposes during th efirst quarter of the century are among the
most coveted collectibles today. 
The
models who appeared on early calendars and the artists who created
them are generally anonymous. Nevertheless, Coca-Cola calendars
were familiar to millions for their simple imagery and consistent
messages. t of refreshment.
