The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-09
iHE HERMIT oFKMG STREET.
Quaint "Reminiscences Of Tay1or's: Shoe
Store-An Antediluvian Merchant.

The unseemly little house between Mr..
Schuchmann's and Mr.. Corwin's stores, on tne
west side Of King street, known IN oygone times
as Taylor's shoe store, has been purchased oy Mr..
J. G. r. Claussen, who IS about to erect in its
stead handsome building. In the lower story
OF this projected building will be conducted the
branch establishment of Mr.. Claussen's celebra.
ted bakery, the present store next to the Masonic
Hall being about to be pulled down for the CON
struction OF the new Masonic temple.
The little one story store with its dingy red brick
front and three false rusty green windows above,
has long been mystery to the King street com.
munity. The youthful members have their ghost.
ly stories about the place and its mysterious In.
habitaut The older portion OF the community
recollecs well the palmy days OF Taylor's shoe
store, when bona fde boots and shapely shoes
were retaEed by the eccentric occupant The
building Is owned BY Mr. Thos. r. Taylor, and
was built by him after the great fire IN the spring
Of ,ss. 1t has always been shoe store, conduct.
ed on his own principles by the quaint owner.
People went In, suited themselves and purchased,
with no words from the proprietor except to state
the price, The store was kept dark land In the even
ing Illuminated by a few old-fasEtoned oil
lamps. There was no haring, pretentious
gas about the establishment was gloomy and
quiet. Up to the war the occupant was only seen
by outsiders when he hung up few samp.es Of
his stock outside. IN this way things went on
until the war. The shelliDg Grove other people
up town, but not so the shoe-dealer. Nothing
stirred him. Once he was seen outside when
fragment OF shell rudely burst through his domi.
Gle. One night he was enticed up town, but the
old hermit feeling was too strong, and early next
morning he was again In hfs sancturn No-one
lived with him. Business was dull during the
war and after 1t. The shoe trade was merely
nominal with the silent storekeeper. The store
was not even opened. Tiesw!u !udows remained
closely barred, and da partially, opened door only
served to make the darkness visible in The gloomy
recess OF the s:ore.' No one can recollect OF the
store being opened since the war. The
proprietor was frequently requested to sell,
but the store was part OF his existence,
and be refused until successive mortgages
brought on sale, and Mr.. Claussen Is the pur-
chaser. The yard.at the back, as seen from the
neighboring houses, is grown up with weeds and
brush, and Is feature Of the place. The chill
dren peep In and see an cid man with long
white beard, seated In the darkness, and start
back as from ghost. The quiet, however, will
be soon broken. and-the hermit Of King street,
in his old age, must seek another resting place.
A few doors below, the popular lace store OF Mr..
Read Is undergoing repairs, and Will soon appear
in all the glories Of stylish modern front. Quite
crowd was collected opposite it yesterday af.
ternoon as the workmen were engaged In hoist.
ing massive cast.iron front. piece, weighing
ktn v1a inhs {o n
hands Of Mr.. Devereux, and when completed the
store will be one OF the handsomest places nfthe
kind In the city.