The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-12-20
A BAZAAR INDEED.
A Magnificent Display of Fine Ware
and Notions.
How a CrOckery House was Furnished
for San Antonio.

1t was only few years ago when the lead
ing merchants sold everything,-dry goods
and groceries, hardware, furniture, crockery,
drugs and agricultural implements. The
main thing in those days was to have every
thing the customer could possibly call for
under the same roof,-and very little attention
was paid to art, or to the fine taste of the
people. San Antonio has grown out of those
primitive ways; merchants now deal in
| specialties, dry goods is a specially and is
being divided up into branches; groceries is a
specially; furniture is specially, and so on,
but when the first crockery store opened it was
regarded as an experiment.
But San Antonio has not only grown in pop
ulation during the past few years but it has
grown in taste and elegance. When Mr.. Paul
| Wagner put up his new front on Commerce
street and announced that he would open
hrst-class crockery house, he had no idea
of the wealth of design and the world of art
he would be compelled to draw on. Mr.. w.
visited in person the cities of the north, then
crossed the ocean, and went to London, to
Paris, to Bohemia, and to Germany, and
when he returned he had ordered goods from
the very centers Of art and civilization for the
d
man to the City of Mexico to secure all that
was rare or beautiful there and secured the
services of local artists to supply hand painted
articles for his customers.
Mr.. Wagner's bazaar is divided into two
departments, one being devoted to crockery,
fine vases, notions, and ornamental articles,
the other to toys, dolls, holiday goods for lit
| tie folks and useful household articles.
In the first room no expense has been
spared to show the goods. Mammoth glass
show cases occupy good space of the room,
while from floor to ceiling articles are artist
cally displayed.
Perhaps in no branch Of industry has
the human ingenuity and genius been
more successful than in producing
beautiful crockery both for use and ornament.
Among the articles we may be allowed to call
attention to are the terra Gotta statuetts-a
beautiful novelty, imported and native-a
splendid line of vases, ranging in price from
the cheapest to SIS per pair; a novelty in
glassware just from the factories Of Bohemia,
known as "optic glass" mic nacks" from
Paris; China tea sets and dinner sets of the
finest white china of Havlland & Co.; COM
plete and varied line of dressing cases and
bodouir goods from Paris and Philadelphia;
splendid line of French bronze goods; marble
mounted clocks of elegant design; line OF
German willow ware not to be found else
where in the city; fancy shopping bags; Jap
anese goods; large assortment of photo
graphic albums, direct importation from Ger
many; beautiful assortment of dressing
cases: the largest importation ever made here
of steel engravings.
The play of Mexican goods and curiosi-
ties cannot be excelled. Mr.. Wagner keeps
artists regularly employed to furnish placdues
of the missions and Alamo and Mexican wax
figures.
A splendid line of silver plated goods, and
novelty of artificial bouquets, Just from
Paris.
In the holiday department Mr.. Wagner has
drawn upon the Parisans for elegant dolls,
and upon the factories of Europe for novel
| ties.
One of the specialties of this establishment,
is the Hitchcock lamp of which over 1905
have been sold in very short time.
To attend to the business of this house
some fifty persons are employed, of these
eight are engaged as packers, and for the past
lew weeks the rush of business has been be.
yond the ability of the firm to meet with thu
promptitude Mr.. w. DESIRES From early
morn till IL at night this bee hive is busy at
tending to customers and filing orders Be,
sides the store and adjacent warehouse two
large warehouses are used to store goods.
history of the growth of business in our city,
and Of the advanced taste and requirement Of
our city and surrounding country. Not only
do the people want good article but they
study the style and pay for novelties. Enter
l