Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-09-07
NO. %.
History of Dry Goods Frince--Eow
A. T. Stewart Made His $40, ,ooo,-
[Fron the New York leader ]


Probably the most stnpendous success in
mercantile career, of no extraordinary lengti
has been That of A. 7. Stewart, the pr,.sen
great wholesale aud reiail dry goods dealer
A. L, Stewart IS countryman of OCon
nell, Brien the Brave, Cirran, the laie Duk
Of Wellington. Powers the actor, Grattan, tn,
Emmetts, and Teddy the Tier Forty-ont
years ago he landed on the western side of til,
Atlantic, alone and unfIiended He cam,
from the county Tyrone, uear the bushes.
When he reached New York III 1919, Mr.
Stewart must have been twenty-fDur years old
and soon after he could have been found al
No. SO Rose street, directly opposite the
Quaker church, where be "taught the young
idea how 10 shoot" or 10 plain Irish kept a
school How, long Mr.. Stewart was occupied
IN u tnsk that would have tired the patience oi
job, dare not say, but have no doubt il
was a most excellent preparatory school, 10
teach patience TO the future immense favorite,
and successful waiter upen the caprices OF lady
/ dry goods purchasers.
Mr.. Stewart is now about the age of sixty
four, having been born in ireland in 1875 or
T '96. After the yellow fever in 1872, Mr.
Stewart opened retail dry goods store in
Broadway, in an old wooden tenement directly
opposite to where his great marble palace now
stands. Stewards store may have been TWEEN
ty-two feet wide and about twenty feet deep.
He was next door to The celebrated Bonafant,
now nearly forgotten. AT the time, Mr.. Stew
art was not large or even a small dealer in
the great staples. His store was not large
enough. He kept hosiery. laces, silks, gloves
81 Al G,l,, II
tended the great auction sales regularly and
never missed sale Of dry goods at p g. j
Homes, John Hone & Sons, Iaggerty. A ustin
L Co.'S, Mills x Mihturn's Adee, Tinpson &
Co.'S, and David Adccis.
He invariably upon these occasions bought
what was called stumbled lots or, more prop
eAy speaking, sample lots" AT great
shelf SALE" samples would be flung upon the
long table, before the auctioEeer. The buy
ers would handle them, stretch, pull, try on
the goodM If gloves, and tumble them in fine
STYLE
1t was curious to a philosopher to watch
the rapid transition over Stewards face. He
always stood close to the aucriuIicer, and rs he
invariably bought the sample lot, his face ex-
pressed anxiety his hands reached ont and
grasped as mary Of the articles as he could
compass, especially laces, aud he drew them
near himself to prevent more tangling. When
lot of goods was closed up. then the samples
would be sold separate, and rarely brought
half price. Then A. I. Stewart was in his
glory. lie bought all, conveyed thcn 10 his
little store, and as he was very expert in re-
dressing up gloves, laccs, hosiery, &C., he;
would soon make his sample lots equal to the
original goods before they were mussed at the
auction sales. Then followed the triumph Of
the patient humble little tradesnlan, He
could undcrsell anybody in that trade, Of
course. and ladies Of fashion were not long in
finding out that fact In this modest way he
worked afJrr. slowly but surely. from | 822 to
1928. Then he found his busi ness greatly in
creased. He was the best judge of laces in
New York, and he sold the best at the lowest
prices-lowcr than the great dealers, Fountain
& Co., and Vandervelt and Flandcn. Sewart,
by practicing economy, industry, and absolute
devotion to bis profession and business, sJoH
came alongside Of his great and sometimes
oyerbearing rivals. He was humble, attentive,
sold very cheap, and the best of goods. lie
neither Tried on dodges nor gouges. He vas
regarded as Il worthy young beginner, and very
soon the fashionable Misses Mason, Jones,
Prime, Jay, Homes, Oracle, Crosby, Stuyve-
SAINT, and others of their set became his CON
slant patrons, and he soon had all that prQtita-
bic trade.
He was forced to move. Three stores had
been erected in Broadway. between Warren
and Chamber streets. B.ltijack Wecms NOV
ed into the corner store Fuuntain & Co.
moved next and Stewart into the third store
Ills WAS only thirty feet deep. The rest were
their present depth, and all only three stories
high, but occupied above by families. Ia this
store Stewart continued until 1882. Then he
moved down to a two story store, between
Murrv and Warren streets His business in
creased So rapidly that he had to enlarge his
st,'re by deepening it twenty feet, and rails d it
to three stories. In the cours, five Years more,
he was obliged to deepen it thirty feet more,
and put on two more stories, making it a five
story store.
About this time Stewart adopted the plan
of employing as clerks, the hauisomest 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 hand
some Boyle afterwards Boyle & Humphries)
and Durham. They were great fellows among
the women in 1888 and 1874, and drew crowds
to Stewards already fashionable store.
Many of our readers will we'll remember
partly bald-headed MN who used to walk up
and down the store, when it was opposite the
City Hall. This walker named johnson.
He had been brought up in fashionable Lon
den dry-goods store. He came TO New York,
and offered to go into Stewards store for no
salary. He was accepted. The first year
Stewart gave him $500; the second, 81 200;
the third, 81 500, and the next year gave him
an interest in the business Of one-eighth. He
left the concern of A. T. Stewart & Ca., some
ten years after, in 1913, with 100000, and
went to Eny.anl, taking $4,000 and leaving
5000 which Stewart invested in Kentucky
bonds. Johnson was bachelor. When he
reached England be was induced to start
club house. RI, sold out his $4,000 Ken
lucky stock. los. every dollar, and came back
to New York. and wanted Stewart to take
him in again. Bat Mr. Stewart had mean
while sent to England for Mr.. King, (who had
previously been clerk with him. and taken
him into partnership; consequently, there was
no vacancy for the unfortunate Johnson. He
is now in Italy. His wife will make one
of the first singers in the world, equal to
Malibran, after having had some practice in
the italian school. Her voice is unequalled.
johnson married her in England.
In 1881, Mr.. burroughs was book-keeper.
Stewart took him in as partner, and gave
him one-eighth in 1888. He died last year,
and his share was just one million Of dol
lars.
Mr.. King was in the concern long enough
to make $250,000, and then be retired to Eng
land where he also died last year,
Ireland has been the birthplace of many re-
markable men, but never has she sent from her
shores n more sate,cious one than 4 r Stew