Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-08-27

History 81 q GlN AfooNa ElEAAicQHHAlA ~ ~
~ steWart Made His esOy yOoO, ,oO0.osF
s tErSn the New York LsadsF.l d. 4s.s,
Probably the most stupendous success IN q
mercantile career, Of noextraordinary length,
has been that oi A.. I. Stewart, the present
great wholesale and retail dry goods dealer
A. 7, Stewart Is 8 coHnlr lyman Of D Connell
Brien the Brave, Curfan, the late Dake OF
[ Wellington, Powers the. Ectog Gnttan, The
Emmetts, and Teddy The Tiler Forty-onS
years sgOhe handed on the western side Of
the Atlantic, alOneand unfriended. He came
nom the country Tyrone, near the bushes
When he reached New York il 1918, Mr..
stewart must have been twsaty-four years
old, and soon after be could have been found
az No, 50 Rose street directly opposite the
Quaker church. where be " taught The young
idea how 70 shoot" or in plain irish kept .
school How long Mr. Stewart was occupied
in g task that would have tired the patience
ofJob. Idare not say, but have no doubt
il was A most excellent preparatory school 70
teach patience to the future immense favOrite,
and successful waiter upon the caprices Of lady
dry goods purchasers.
.kIf. Stewart is now about the age of sixty
four, having been born Ia ireland Ia l7s5sor
is6. After the yellow fever in 1922, Mr..
Stewart opened . retail dry goods store in
Broadway, in an old wooden tenement directly
opposite to where his great marble palace now
stands Stewart store may have been twenty
two feet wide anti shout twenty feet deep.
he was next door to the celebrated Bonatanti,
now nearly forgotten, At the time, Mr., Stew
art was not q large or even small dealer IN
the great staples, his store was not large
enough. He kept hosiery, laces, silks, gloves
ribbons and the most costly fabrics. He
attended the crest auction sales regularly,
and never missed q sale of dry goods at ?. &
j. Homes, John Hone & Sons, Haggerty,
Austin &. Co.'s, Mills 5 Minturn's, Adee,
Timpson & Cos, and David Adee's.
He invariably upon these occasions brought
what was called s'tumbled lots or, more
properly speaking, asample lots. Atagreat
e shelf sale, % samples would be flung upon
the long table, before the auchoneer, The
buyers would handle them, stretch, pull, try
on the goods, ii gloves, aud tumble them in
fine style. 10 a'1i 20 o. ~ I. IT, ... ....,.,
.-.. II was curious to a philosopher 70 watch
the rapid transition over Stewards fRce.' He
always stood close to the auctioneer, and as
be invariably bought the sample LOT, his face
expressed anxiety, his hands reached out and
grasped as many Of the articles as ne could
compass. especially laces, and he drew them
near himself 70 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. 4. Stewart was in his
glory. He bought all, conveyed them to his
little store, and as be was very expert in re-
dressing up gloves, laces, hosiery, &C, he
would soon make his sample lots equal to the
original goods before they were mussed at the
auction sales Thanfollowed the triumph Of
the patient humble little tradesman, He
could undsrsell snybody in that trade, Of
course, and aides Of fashion were not long in
finding out that fact In this modest way be
worked along, slowly but surely, from 1922
1928. Then he found his business greatly
increased. BE was the best Judge Of laces in
New York, and be sold the best at the lowest
pfices-lowe than the great dealers, Fountain
4 Co! and VandeFvelta and Flanden. Stewart
By practiciug economy Industry, and abso-
late devotion to his profession and business,
soon came. aloRgside Of his great and some
times oTerbearihg rivals. He was humble,
attentive, sold very cheap, and the best OF
goods He neither tried on dodges or gouges.
He was regarded as aworthy young beginner,
and very soon the fashionable Misses Mason,
Jones. Prime, Jay, Homes Oracle, Crosby,
StuT7esant, and Others Of their set became his
constant patrons, and be soon had .all mat
profitable trade. ..........-.
" BE was forced to move. Three stores had
been erected in Broadway, between Warren
and Ghamber streets. BeBtijack 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 hemoyeG down to two story, between
Murray and Warren streets. His business IN
creased so rapidly that be had to enlarge bis
store by deepening Il twenty feet, and Faised
It TO three stories In the course Of hEe years
more, he was Obliged 70 deepen it thirty feet
more, and put on. two more. stories, making
it five story store. d Il 20 E. - 'a...-i5
lsi.About this time Stewart adopted thep5iEn OF
employing as clerks; the haudsomest 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 e=S0uth. He hired
handsome BOYLE afterwards Boyle & Hum
Dhries) aha burham. They yFeTe great fellows
among the women in 1888 and 1884, and
drew, crowd to St6Warts already fashionable
t,,,e 2ii-fIsfi ,.'J p A4Iltd -.l -.1-.,,, j
~ Manyof our readers viii well remember
apaFtly bald-headed man who used 70 walk
up and down the store, vixen it was opposite
the City Hall This walker was named John
son. He had been brought up in a ,fashiona-
Die London dry-goods store. BE came to New
York, and offered TO 90 into Stewart store
for no salary. He was accepted. The hrsi
year Stewart gave him $4OO; the second S1,-
zoo the third, $4,000, and the next year gave
him an interest in the business IS Of q9ns-elg nth
He left the. concern OF. A, 7. SteVart Co7
some ten years after, In ls4s, with Slo0i 600,
and, went to England, taking $4,000, and
leaving $50 ,oee, which Stewart invested IN
Kentucky bonds. Johnson was bachelor
When he reached England be was induced to
start a club house. ,He sold out his sO,OOC
Kentucky stock, lost every dollar, and came
baolZ ito New York, and ,yanted Stewart 1tt
take him in again. But Nh. Stewart haC
meanwhile sent to England for Ar, King
I CW8bo had previously Been a clerk with him,
and taken him into partnerships consequent
| liz, here was no vacancy for the untoTtunatt
/ johnson. He isuow IN Italy. His wife vii
make one Of the finest singers in the world
e6uaf to MhIfiEah, after having Had esomt
practice. in the Italian school Her voice il
qpsquaTe!d SohppstoGny married Pg'7 hsT IN Eng
| land. t.I.l. .t., .i...,...4.l.. .......
In 1881, Mr.. Burroughs was bOok-keeper
/ Stewart took him in.as a.pqgt1ers. and gave
him one-eighth IN 1888. He died lastyear
and bis share was just one million Of dol
M. King was 1n-the concern long enougl
Nske S25O,oO0, and then he retired t,
. m+, where he also died last year, ~