The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-10-26
From the New York Leader
A Dry Goods Prince.

y
/ Probably the most stupendous success
| in a mercantile career, of no extraordinary
| length has been that of a. T. Stewart the
present wholesale and retail dry goods
! dealer.
A. I. Stewart is a countryman OF
| O'Connell, Brien and brave Curran, the
late Duke of Wellington, Powers the ac-
tor, Grattan, the Emmets, and Teddy, the
Tller. Forty-one years ago he landed on
the western side of the Atlantic alone ard
unfriended. He came from the county
! Tyrone, near the bushes. When hereach-
ed New York in 1915, Mr.. Stewart must
have been twenty four years old, and soon
after he could have been found at SO Rose
street, directly opposite the Quaker church
where be taught the young idea how to
shoot" or in plain Irish, kept a school
How long Nr. Stewart was occupied in a
task that would have tried the patience of
Job, dare not say, but have no doubt
it was most excellent preparatory school
to teach patience to the future immense
fayorlte, and successful waiter upon the
caprces Of lady dry goods purchasers.
Mr.. Stewart is now about the age of
sixty-fo having been born in Ireland,
in 1875 or 96. After the yellow fever
in 1922, Mr. Stewart opened retail dry
goods store in Broadway, in an old wood
en- tenement directly opposite to where his
great marble palace now stands. Stew
arts store may have been twenty feet
deep. lie kept hosiery, Iaces, silks, gloves
ribbons. and the lLore costly fabrics. He
attended The great auction sales regularly
and never missed a sale Of dry goods at
z. & j. Homes; IIagerty; Austin & Co..;
and David Lees.
lie invariably on these occasions bought
what was called tumble lots" or more
properly speaking " sample lots At a
great " shelf sale,'' samples would be flung
upon the long table, before the auctioneer.
The buyers would handle, stretch, pull,
try on the goods if gloves, and tumble
them in fine style.
1t was curiosity to a philosopher to
watch the rapid transition over Stewart 5
face. He always stood close to the auc-
tioneer, and as invariably bought the sam
pie lots, his face expressed anxiety, bis
hands reached out and grasped as many
of the articles as he could compass, es-
pecially laces, and be drew them near him
self to prevent more tangIing. When a
lot of goods was closed up, and then the
samples would be sold separate, aud rare
y brought balf price. Then A I. Stew
art was in his glory. lie bought all, con
veyed them to his little store, and as he
was very expert in re dressing up gloves,
laces, hosiery, etc, he would make his
sample lots equal to the original goods be-
fore they were mussed at the auction
sales. Then followed the triumph of the
patent humble little tradesman. He could
undersell anybody in that trade, Of coulse
and ladies of fashion we're not long il
finding out that fact. In his modest way
he worked along slowly, but surely, from
1922 to 1928. Then he found his busi
ness greatly increased. lie was the best
judge of laces in New York, and he sold
the best at the lowest prices--lower thar
the great dealers, Fountain & Co., and
Vanderbilt Il Elamden. Stewart by
practicing economy, industry, and abso
lutte devotion to his profession, and busi
ness, soon came alongside of his great
and sometimes overbearing rivals He
was humble, attentive, sold very cheap
and the best of goods. lie neither trec
on lodges or gouges. He was regarded
as worthy young beginner, and very
soon the fashionable Misses, Jones, Prime
Jay, Homes, Oracle, Crosby, Stuyvessnt
and others of their set became his constant
patrons, and he soon had all that profita
ble trade
Ills business increased so rapidly that
he had to enlarge his store by deepening
it twenty feet, and raised it to three sto
ries. In the course Of five years more, hC
was obliged to deepen it thirty feet more
and pat on two more stories, making it
five story house.
About this time Stewart adopted tn,
plan Of employing, as clerks, the hand
soonest young fellows he could pick up il
this country, or even in England. Hi
customers were the most dashing and fash
ionabe young women in the city, anc
from the South lie hired handsom,
Boyle afterwards Boyle d Humphries,
and Durham. They were great fellow
among the women in 1888 and 1882, anC
drew crowds to Stewards already fashion
able store.
In 1881, Mr., burroughs was book keep
er. Stewart took him in as partner, ant
gave him one eighth in 1888. He die(
last year and his share was jast one mil
lion of dollars.
In the year 1898, when all was gloon
and confusion in tue commercial world
Stewart reduced his stock to cost and sole
for those prices. GInghams aud sucl
stuffs that had been reta.ing for 81 cent
per yard. he sold al 20 cents caicoes il
the same proportion " hat was the con
sequence: Old women who had stock
inged their gold and silver marched t,
Stewards to take advantage of the awf'l
sacrifice that unfortunate merchant wa
making and, though they did not wan
the goods yet. like Mrs. Toodles, the,
might q want Elm one Of these days" whel
they could not be had at such unheard O
!. low prices. Stewart was oyerrun witt
cash He took the same money received
for goods sold at cost, went into the mar
ket, aud bought the same style of goods
1 A