Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-09-15

HISTORY OF a DRY GOODS PRINCE
HOW A. T. STEWART MADE HIS
$40 900 900.

Probably the most stupenduous success in q
mercantile career, IF no extraordinary length, has
been that of A.. 7. Stewart, the present great
Wholesale and retail dry goods dealer.
A, I. Stewart is a countryman of OConnell,
Brieu the Brave, Curran, the late Duke OF Wei
lington, Powers the actor, Grattan, the Emmetts,
and Teddy the Tiler. Forty-one years ago he
landed on the Western side of the Atlantic, alone
and unfriended. lie came from the county Ty-
ron, near the bushes. When he reached New
York in 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 20 shoot or in plain Irish, kept a school
How long Mr.. Stewart was occupied in o task
that would have tried the patience Of JOB, l dare
not say. but l have no doubt it was a most excel
lent preparatory school, to teach patience to the
future immense ~favoIite, and successful waiter
upon the caprices Of lady dry goods purch'
asers.
Mr.. Stewart is now about the age Of six.y-four,
having been born in Ireland in 1895 or '96. After
the yellow fever in 1922, Mr.. Stewart opened a
retail dry goods story in Broadway, in an old
wooden tenement directly opposite to where bis
great marble palace now stands. Stewards store
may have been twenty-five feet wide and about
twenty feet deep. lie was next door to the cele-
brated Bonafanti, now nearly forgotten. AT the
time, Mr.. Stewart was no. a large or even a small
dealer in the great staples. His store was not
large enough. lie kept hosiery, laces, silks, gloves,
ribbons, and the moro costly fabrics. lie attended
the great auction sales regularly and never missed
n sale Of dry goods at P. & j. Homes, John Hone
s. Sons, Haggerty, Austin & Co.'s, Mills & Min
turns, Adee, Timpson & Co.'s, and David Adee's.
lie invariably on these occasions bought what
was called 'tumbled lots, or, more properly speak
ing, sample lots At a great shelf SALE samples
would be flung upon the long table, before the
auctioneer. The buyers would handle them,
stretch, pull, try on the goods, if gloves, and tum-
bic them in fine style.
1t was curious to a philosopher to watch the
rapid transition over Stewards face. lie 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 of the
articles as he could compass, especially laees, and
he drew them near him to prevent more tangling
When a lot of goods was closed up, then the sam
Piles would be sold separate, and rarely brough'
half price. Then Mr.. Stewart was in his glory
lie bought ali, conveyed them to his little store
and as he was very expert in redressing up gloves
laces, hosiery, &C., he would soon make his sam
pie lots equal to the original goods before the.
wore mussed at auction sales. Then followed tn,
triumph of the patient, humble little tradesmau
lie could undersell anybody in that trade, of course
and ladies of fashion were not long in finding GU
that fact. In this modest way he worked along
slowly but surely, from 1922 to 1923. Then h
found his business greatly increased. He was tn
best Judge of laces in New York, and he sold tn
best at the lowest prices-lower than the grea
dealers, Fountain & Co., and VANDERBILT an,
Flanden. Stewart, by practicing economy, indus
try and absolute devotion to his profession an
business, soon came alongside of bis great an,
sometimes overbearing rivals. He was humble
attentive, sold very cheap, and the best of goods
lie never tried on lodges or gouges. lie was re
garded as a worthy young beginner, and very sool
the fashionable Misses Mason, Jones, Prime, Jay
Homes, Oracle, Crosby, Stuy vesant, aud others Q
their set became his constant patrons, and he 500
had all that profitable trade.
lie was forced to move. Three stores had bee
erected in Broadway, between Warren and Chan
Der streets. BentijNck Weems moved into the CO
ner store. Fountain & Co. moved next, and Stey
art in.o the third store. His was only thirty fe
deep. The rest were their present depth, and a
only three stories high, but occupied above !
families. In this store Stewart continued uni
1882. Then he moved down 70 a two story stor
between Murray and Warren streets. His. bul
ness increased SO rapidly that he had to enlarI
his store by deepening it twenty feet, and rails
it to three stories. In the course of five yea
more. he was obliged to deepen it thirty feet NOR
and put on two moro stories, making it q FIVE sto
store.
About this time Stewart adopted the plan
employing as clerks, the handsomsst young e