The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-03-19
TRADE IMPROVEMENTS.

the spacious and well-lighted halls of the
| great house Of Strawbridge u Got Ter.
oa the corner of Eighth and Market
streets, Philadelphia. wondering at all |
saw. and especially at the changes pro-
| iuced since that model establishment be-
| gan its growth in its first very narrow
! quarters. JuStus c. Strawbridge started
| The house in 1862 and Isaac H. Clothier
| '"ined him in 1868, when the present firm
| was formed. When the founder began
| his scheme of business the country was
! leep in the first burst Of Il great civil
var. His business was small. as the
| whole land was in the midst of the en-
pertinent of saving the National Govern
| uent; and it continued small until after
he war; when it began largely to expand
ear by year, until it has attained pro
PORTIONS gratifying to all interested in
Philadelphia and her institutions. On
he 2lst of June. 1879. l wrote a page
md half of Progress describing the adj
iitions perfected up to that time, and
hat sketch. copied us it was in full by
most of the daily papers of Philadelphia,
md by many Of the weekIies of the
country, excited new and surprising
! interest in the enterprise of these quiet
mt fearless merchants. Two years have
not passed. and now another page in the
history of the same firm is opened to the
world. In 1879 the observer was amazed
It the vast extent of this great bazaar;
III 1880 he perceives that the immense
demands of their stupendous trade has
compelled still further accommodations
they first purchased the store NJ. s
North Eighth Street, which adioined the
ear of their main building, together
| With Il row of eleven dwellings, on Filbert
avenue, a court extending from the rear
If the Market Street store clear back to
Filbert Street.
On the north end of this lot handsome
| new building. with two show windows
N the first floor, was run up to the height
If four stories. Between that and the
main building on Market Street two cor
ridors were constructed. one above the
,ther, the Eighth Street store being made
to open into them, thus throwing the two
over floors of all the buildings into one,
obtaining three handsome fronts on Mar
ket, on Eighth. and on Hilbert streets,
md making Messrs. Strawbridgc & Clio
| Ghers establishment in point of size one
| If the largest in America.
To give some idea Of the dimensions Of
| sheir colossal building as it stands be it
s id that the fronts measure, on MAJ Eet
iSrcet. 100 feet: on Fibert Street. "a
! ieet: and on Eighth Street. l30 feet, and
| the west wall from street to street. is
800 feet in one unbroIeu line. Un!er
the entire extent of the store runs 4 base
mcnt which is devoted chiefly. save 4 pni-
| ton under the main building. and Il few
a!coves for various purposes, to the stor-
| aIe of goods, for the reception of which
| beneath the Hilbert Street front sub
| 7autial iron slide rack has been construct
ed: and the entrance way above in the
handsomely filled show windows. is
| good point at which to begin an inspec-
| ton of the house.
| 1t is not my purpose to attempt de-
| Scription in detail of the wondrous estab-
lishmcnt of to-day but only to notice
some OF the changes made. and features
! 7 t;,,l>
ierred to- At that time it seemed to me
Il model store, but to-day look in Won
| Ter at Improvements on scale so eXten-
sive. and yet so permanent and enduring
in appearance rs to warrant the belief
that years must have been taken to ac-
complish them did ! not know that all
has been but the work of a few short
| months.
A new and palatial store Gan addition
to the former spacious building) stands
where one year ago stood a long row of
tenement houses. and where the old store
ends and the new one begins no one can
| tell by inspection. | mount to the top
of the house in twinkling by means of
a steam elevator. aud find the spacious
tifta story devoted now chiefly to the
accommodation of the hundreds of en-
ployeS. Here are cloak rooms for the
| women: separate lunch rooms for the
men. women and boys, and coffee. tea,
and milk furnished by the firm gratui-
| touslY To all.
Pa>>ii, down to the fourth floor find
it occupied nearly as il was Il year ago.
as the receiving and examining rooms,
where the immense invoices of goods
from all over the world are examined
and transferred to the various depart
ments On this floor find also the Mail
Order Department greatly enlarged, and
employing i'll its exclusive work of filling
orders received by mail force of en-
p,oyes equal in number to many single
entire establishments. On the third floor
a surprise awaited me. Here two years
ago were the sewing rooms. which have
been transferred to their new quarters on
Hilbert Street. 4 half Il square away. and
the room. greatly enlarged and beautiiied,
is now devoted to the wholesale business,
which has became an important feature
of the house. So great have been the
importations of this enterpri>ing house,
and So immense the stock carried, that
dealers. both city and country, have
gradually come to draw their supplies
therefrom. until the firm has been com
PEELED to organize this branch of the
business in separate department. To-
day dealers from all over the country
have the opportunity Of making their
selections from stock of dress goods,
especially. which rivals the finest collcc-
tions to be found in any city. and dis
PLAYED in one of the best-liyhted and
most imposing salasroom of the country.
The retail rooms % the first and second
floors would require too much space for
accurate description, and are. perhaps.
too well known by most of our readers to
require it. For who in Philadelphia or
amonr ( nc residents near the city does
not know the popular and beautiful sales
rooms of Strawbrdge 4 Clothier? Peo-
, pie of course. have their personal pre-
erences for particular stores, but even
those rho do not obtain their supplies
from this renowned establishment must
-.