Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-01
THE HISTORY OF BUsINDSs-R. DALE AND
CO., 625 AND 627 STREET.

THE HISTORY OF A BUsINExs-R. DALE AND
co., 625 AND 627 STREET.
In the spring of 1853 two young men,
Richard Dale and Dan. Fl. Douglass, then
living in San Francisco, entered into an
agreement to open music and toy store in
Sacramento, and with that object in view,
one of them went by steamer to New York
to purchase goods and make other business
arrangements. He returned by way Of
Cape Horn, in the clipper ship Celestial,
bringing the purchased goods with him !;
but being delayed by adverse winds and
Gains, only arrived in San Francisco few
days before Christmas late to get their
goods out of the ship in time for that
Christmas trade. Arriving in Sacramento,
they rented store at No. l55 street, near
Sixth, and opened the doors for business on
the 18th of January, 1854. The building
rented was then simply barn, with barn
house doors, and the rent $500 per month
in advance. The tenants had to cloth the
ceiling, cloth and paper the walls, put in
an entire new front, build partitions, show
windows, counters and fixtures, all at their
own expense, and from that time to this
Mr. Dale has paid over S34, coo in store
rents alone.
On the 18th of July, 1854, at midday, a
fire occurred that nearly destroyed. the
city. Douglass & Dales stock and fixtures
passed away into smoke and ashes without
any insurance as the city went so went
Douglass & Dale's stock. Nothing daunted,
they opened store again on the third day
near the Plaza, commenced rebuilding,
and early in August reopened at the old
location Tn Ionuary 1877 on oocoupt ut
poor health, Mr.. Douglass sold out his in
returned to New York, and died there in
1870. Mr.. Dale continued on in the old
store until 1861, when, finding the stock
and business increasing so rapidly that the
old quarters no longer gave room enough
to display his goods, had built for him
from the ground the present large and
beautiful store and basement, No. 627
street, which was opened with great
eclat June |, 1861. The flood followed
In December and January, 1862, ard
while hundreds, If not thousands, deserted
the city and county, MIR. Dale remained at
his post, confident of the great future oil
Sacramento, and now, while celebrat-
ing the twenty-slxth of his consec.
utive New Years days in Sacramento,
and all the time in the same line OF
business, can safely say that but few
men in the world are allotted the same
privilege. 1t is doubtful if ten men in
Sacramento can say the same thing. There
are not great many in California, and
put very few in any town, that can boast
of a quarter of century business career
in the same city and in the same line OF
business. Another fact to talk of: Mr..
Dale has two clerks in his present employ
the Robbins brothers-one of whom has
been with him 10 and the other Is years.
The present store is like the world-d divided
into four quarters. The southeast is de.
voted to sheet music and books, all kinds
OF musical instruments and musical mer-
chandise. The shelves contain about Is, 600
pieces of sheet music in 7, 800 folios, CON-
prising all the latest musical produc-
tions from all parts of the world.
The northeast quarter contains all kinds
of silk, chenille, floss, cottons, bullion,
regalia fringes, rosettes, brushes, combs
and Yankee notions, arranged and presided
over by tasty and experienced lady assist
ants. The northwest quarter is sacred to
all kinds of zephyrs, woods. yarns notices,
canvas, tidy patterns and perforated
boards, the trade in these goods continu-
ally increasing with the growing taste OF
the community, and now amounting to
thousands of dollars annually In the
southwest quarter we find an endless va
riety of toys, wagons, baskets and fancy
goods generally, while down stairs an
other store as large as the upper one con-
ia ms all kinds of baby carriages, rocking
horses, chairs, bird cages, croquet sets and
such large goods that could not be kept up
stairs. Ten obliging clerks with four
ladies attend to the wants of the patrons
of the above establishment.