Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-11-15
AN OPENING DAY.

| great that It required the enortS OF d
strong corps of gendarmes to control and;
regulate it, and not few accidents resulted,
and many costly goods were trampled under
foot and ruined. But that crush was brought
about by the offer of presents to every pur
chaser and the uncomfortable desire OF the
people to get something for nothing. Very diff
ferent was an opening day at one OF the leading
houses of Sacramento, and which made Sat
urday an eventful day in retail business cir
cles. For some time before Coming
Event" had been advertised freely, and only
on the eve of its happening was it announced
that the promised sensation was opening day
at Alderman q Co.'s fancy goods wholesale
and retail house, Seventh and j streets. 1t
became so prominent an event of that day
that it rose to the level of news and so the
news gatherers surged in with the crowd.
| The day before the establishment was closed,
i so that the arrangements for the opening
might be completed and the goods placed in
the most attractive positions both to afford
the visitors every opportunity to see and
to exhibit the wares to the very best adj
| vantage. The crowd that flowed into that
establishment day and night was marvellous
as to number and thoroughly representative
of Sacramento congregation of people.
Comparing the great city of fashion and
pleasure with the modest Capital City OF
California, it is just judgment to speak OF
the crush at Alderman & Co. g as being COM
paratively greater than that so graphically
described by the correspondent named IN the
account of opening day at the Louvre. The
stream of humanity never slackened from
the hour of opening and at o'clock at night
the crush was still as great, while at 10 o'clock
it had augmented, and it required great pa
thence and energy for one to work passage
through the many aisles of the Sacramento
| Bazaar But there were no accidents no
trarnpling of goods under feet, no need for
police to keep order or regulate the ingress and
egress of the people, aud above all there was
no inducement offered to visit the establish
ment beyond the intrinsic worth and beauty
of the exhibition. There was no promise of
gift to purchasers; on the contrary purchas-
ers were rather discouraged for that day in
their desire to possess articles shown. The
establishment, under the dictatorship of Maui
rice Block, the manager, was admirably ar
ranged to afford the best possible display.
/ The great show windows on either side of the
main entrance were the centers of attraction
for great and merchandising crowd
One of them was bower Of beauty,
IN which some of the rsrest of fancy
goods were to be seen, statuettes in bisque,
ebony and gold pedestals for statuary,
| tableware in silver, china, Dresden, Palsy
and Majolica, and glittering display of
crystal wares, the choicest and latest designs
in toilet articles, decorative articles, Russia
leather goods, mantel ornaments, etc. In the
other the wonders of the toy world were dis
played, and especially the very triumphs of
| artistic achievement in the shape of marvel
ously constructed and richly dressed dolls,
and cunning mechanical toys Inside, the
great storerooms were ablaze with light and
brilliantly beautiful in rich filling of fine
goods. The rooms were decorated on ceiling
and wall after the prevailing fashion and
rage for brio a-brac, festooned with evergreen
wreaths and hung with flags and banners,
while around the molding and cases, and over
and about the great glass cabinets, delicate
vines were trained their vivid green
in strong contrast with the finish
of black and gold and white of the
wood work On the left of the j street store
room was arranged, in endless variety, shelf
and mantel ornamental ware, in all the lines
of vases, and the like, and below, in the
| showcases, were dressing cases, jewel caskets,
etc.. in Russia leather, satin, old gold plush,
silk and all the rarest, richest and latest
styles, card cases, toilet goods, moaey bags,
reticules, shopping bags, portemonnaies, cut
| lery, brushes, fancy clocks, etc. On the left
the shelves were loaded with toys of every
conceivable variety in packages, the samples
! being arranged on terraces below, rising one
i above the other halfway to the ceiling. In
| the center run long double counters, with
their tops rising to a pyramidal form, wherein
res samples of the richest and latest styles
of Photographic albums. Further back and
to the left is an elegant arrangement In a
glass cabinet of samples from the doll depart
ment, and beyond it tables with mechanical
TOYS in operation. Opposite are long
upright cases of Rogers Bros. best silver
plated ware in endless variety, and sur
passing in elegance of finish, grace of design
and elaborateness of enclosing and engrav-
ing, ANYTHING yet seen from that famous
factory. These cases extend, also, their Sec
lions into the Seventh-stTeet store room, and
supplement them with like handsome glass
cabinets containing the rarest and latest
| Vienna and Paris importations of fancy goods
for toilet mantel and etarge. Here, too, the
visitor faces great tiers of shelving contain
ing samples of the crystal and crockery stock
of this establishment, staple lines, which the
firm makes a speciality, and in which their
stock is incompatible. Here, too, are dis
played thousands of samples of scroll brackets
and carved woodwork, mirrors, infants
carriages easels, stands, tables, lamps, clocks,
and China ware of every marketable pattern
and grade This running sketch can give
but faint outline of the display, but some
of the most beautiful and striking articles
may be named; as, ebony and gold
| card tables and flower stands from Vienna
|
carved goods in walnut and oak, and one
style for desk and toilette in olive wood, rarely
beautiful and wholly new here; rarest de-
| signs of beautiful and ornamental goods in
crystal Parian marble goods; genuine French
bronzes French bisque statuary; Palsy
ware; Craquelle crystal wares, antique
styles; faience ware, rarely beautiful; ma
joiica ware in great variety; Vienna bronzes;
old gold plush Baskets; desk goods in cork,
new and beautiful service and jewel cases
in satin, silk and leather; blue cobalt ware
| fine embroidered work baskets; pearl handled
silver plated knife service; cutlery in full
variety; Russia leather goods without end
mantel sets in rarest designs; French China
dinner and tea sets of new designs, original
with the house and bearing its brand old
fashioned blue dipped ware ware for decora-
tive painting of the new tressed" style,
and in antique patterns. Below these
rooms, and beneath other store rooms,
are the wholesale and unbroken bulk de-
partments, where many busy hands are
constantly packing and shipping. The
firm declares its ability to sell to the trade
all these goods at from 10 to 40 per cent. be-
low San Francisco prices that all its goods
are marked at exceedingly low rates and
that its importations have this year been Sc
lseted by one of the firm, who has spent the
past Eve months in Europe to that end-al
which statements, as does this whole sketch,
cannot but advertise largely the business of this
house among the tens of thousands OF RECORD
UNION readers, but all which possesses, new
| ertheless, business news qualities, and indi
Gates the near approach of the holiday sea-
son, when good will, affection, and ardent
love are made manifest by material tokens,
in the form of keepsake presents.
ARCTIC WEATHER. observations of
Mr.. Gerrish, the thermometer at P. NJ. Sat
urday was down to 27', still and intensely
cold. At a. NJ. Sunday it was down to 2O'.
12' below freezing point. Ice formed quarter
of an inch thick, hydrants were frozen up,
and tropical vegetation suffered severely
where not protected The cold snap has VS.
tied us very suddenly, and is the coolest
weather in November since 1872, when 1t was
down to 19' at 6 A. NJ. on the 18th OF that
month.
COMMERCIAL last report San
Joaquin No and Varuna have arrived from
the upper Sacramento with grain and broom
corn. Steamer San Joaquin No. came up
from San Francisco with barge loaded with
lumber. The steamer Neponset, from the
upper Sacramento, with ground produce.
Also barge Phillip, per steamer Pioneer,
arrived from San Francisco. with lumber for
Friend & Terry Lumber Company.