The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-12-27
How a. Z. Stewart made



Probably the most stupendouS success in ;
mercantile career, of no extraordinary length
has been that of A. Il. Stewart, the prcsen.
great wholesale and retail dry goods dealer
A. L. Stewart is n countrymen of O'Con
nell, Brien the Brave, Curran, the late Duke
of Wellington, Powers the actor, Gnttan
the Emmcts, and Teddy the Tiler. Forty,
one years 400, he landed on the western side
of the Atlantic, alone and unfriended. He
came from the county Tyronne, near the
bushes. When he reached New York, il
1919, Mr.. Stewart must have been twenty.
four years old and soon after, he could have
been found at No. SO Rose street, directly
opposite the Quaker church, where "he
taught the young idea how TO shoot" or in
other words, taught school. How long Mr.
Stewart was occupied in n task that would
have tried the patience of Job, | dare not
say but | have no doubt it was n most ex.
cellent preparatory school, to teach patience
TO tho future immense favorite and successful
waiter upon the caprices of lady dry goods
purchasers.
Mr.. Stewart is now about the age of ga,
having been born in Ireland in 1895 or 1876.
After the yellow fever in 1922, MIR. Stewart
opened a retail dry goods store in Broadway,
in an old wooden tenement, directly opposite
TO where his great marble palace now stands.
Stewards store may nave been twenty-five
feet wide, and about twenty feet deep. He
was next door to the celebrated Bonafanti,
now nearly forgotten. At the time, MIR.
Stewart was not a large, or even a small
dealer in the great staples. His store was
not large enough. He kept hosiery, laces,
silks, gloves, ribbons, and the more costly
fabrics. He attended the great auction sales
regularly, and never missed Il sale of dry
goods at p. ~ j. Homes, John Hone 81 Sons,
Haggerty, Austin & Co.'S, Mills u Minturn's,
Addee, Timpson u CO. 5, and David Adde'S.
He invariably, upon these occasions, bought
what was called "tumbled lots" or, more
properly speaking, sample lots" AT a
great "shelf SALE" samples would be flung
upon the table, before the auctioneer. The
buyers would handle them, stretch, pull, try
on the goods, if gloves, and tumble them in
fine style.
1t was curious to a philosopher to watch
the rapid transition over tewaTt's face. He
always stood close to the auctioneer, and as
he invariably bought the sample lot, his face
expressed anxiety, his hands reached out and
grasped as many articles as he could compass,
especially laces, and he drew them near him
self to prevent more tangling. When a lot
of goods was closed up, then the samples
would be sold separate, and rarely brought
half price. Then A. Il. Stewart was in his
glory. He bought all, conveyed them up to
his little store, and as he was very expert in
redressing up gloves, laces, hosiery, &c, he
would soon make his sample lots equal to the
original goods before they had been unused
at the auction sales. Then followed the tri-
umph of the patient, humble, little trades
man. He could undersell anybody in the
trade, of course, and ladies of fashion were
not long in finding out that fact. In this
modest way he worked alone, slowly but
surely, from 1929 to 1928. Then he found
his business greatly increased. He was the
best Judge of laces in New York, and he
sold the best at the lowest prices-lower than
the great dealers, Fountain & Co, and Van
dervelt and Flanden. Stewart, by practicing
economy, industry, and absolute devotion to
his profession and business, soon came along
side of his great and sometimes Overbearing
rivals. He was humble, attentive, sold very
cheap, and the best of goods. He neither
tried on lodges or gouges. He was regarded
as a worthy young beginner, and very soon
the fashionable Misses Mason, Jones, Prime.
Jay, Homes, Oracle, Crosby, Stuyvesant, and
others of their set, became his constant pat
rons, and he soon had all the profitable trade.
He was forced to move. Three stores had
been erected in Broadway, between Warren
and Chamber streets. Bentijack Weems
moved into the corner store. Fountain &
Co. moved next, and Stewart into the third
store. His was only thirty feet deep. The
rest were their present depth, and all only
three stories high, but occupied above by
families. In this store Stewart continued
until 1882. Then he moved down to a two
Stortr ctora ho+u-oap lT,rr,y a,I Warron
streets. His business increased so rapidly
that he had to enlarge his store by deepening
it an additional twenty feet, and raised 1t to
three stories. In the course of FIVE years
more, he was obliged to deepen it thirty feet
more, and put on two more stories, making
1t a five story store.
About the time Stewart adopted the plan
of employing as clerks the handsomest young
fellows he could pick up in this country or
even in England. His customers were the
most dashing and fashionable young women
in the city and from the south. He hired
handsome Boyle afterwards Boyle & Hum
phreys) and Durham. They were great fell
lows among the women in 1888 and 1884,
and drew crowds to Stewards already fash
ionabIe store.
Many of our readers will remember n
partly bald-headed man who used to walk
up and down the store when it vas opposite
the City Hall. This walker was named
Johnson. He had been brought up in a fash
ionabIe London dry-goods store. Tie came
to New York, and offered TO 60 into Stew
arts store for no salary. He was accepted.
The first year Stewart gave him 500; the
second, 81, 200 the third, $4,000; and the
year gave him an interest in the bust
ness of one-eighth. He left the concern OF
\. T. Stewart Il Co. some ten years after, in
1913, with 100000, and Went 10 England,
taking 100000, and leaving $4,000, which
Stewart invested in kentucky bonds. John