Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-10-09
ODD SPECULATION.
Men Who Live by Huying and Sell.
ing Business Plants.
& Talk with a Black-Eyed Little Man
Who EHa2 Bought Out Cigar
Shop. frightened 1T Up,
and Was Ready to Sell
1t a Profit.

tured, restless little man, and the reporter,
while lighting a cigar that he had just pur,
chased. asked where he had met him before
The black-eyed man smiled meditatively.
'You might have seen me-" said he rap
| idly, "when kept grocery in Third ave-
nue.; or when had my fruit store in Thrift
eth street; or when l sold furniture in
Blocker street; or when l was"
Enough" said the reporter. ~ fear am
firing you. You have been unfortunate in
your business ventures. Perhaps you will do
better here
81 cannot say have been unfortunate"
said the little man, smiling once more as he
| lighted cigar. 81 don't mind telling you
| how it is that you are likely to run across me
! at any time, in almost any part OF the city.
am a professional mover. People say that
1 cannot be making money, because l am
constantly moving, but that is precisely how
| do make it, In a city like New York there
are always great many business changes.
In the smaller stores along the avenues and
! in most of the cross business streets above
| Canal, you can find parties every day who
are ready to sell out if they can only close
up without any very heavy loss There is an
equal, or perhaps a greater number of men
who are ready to jump into any little bust
ness which seems to promise them modest
competence. All [ do is to step in and re-
Icve the seller at the lowest figures 1 can
| persuade him to take, and accommodate the
buyer at the highest price I can get him to
give. The difference is my profit.
'But do you find it SO easy to sell out
! business:' asked the reporter.
''No, not if sell it out just as buy it; but
l put new aspect on the face of affairs.
buy the business, renovate it, repair it, SO to
speak, and pat 1t IN proper light before
the buyer In almost all cases where man
/ wants to sell cut, his business has run down,
his stock is as small in quantity as it is poor
in quality, the proprietor is spiritless and in
attentive and his place has a thin, shabby,
dilapidated look; he finds it hard to dispose
Of it. My business is to buy it, freShen it
right up, give it q brisk business air, and if
cannot really infuse new life into it, give it
! all the appearances OF prosperity. A few
/ economical, but artistic and effective touches
viii do this, and little modest assurance will
sell the concern ont
"For instance. bought out this little cigar
store two weeks ago. / had my eye on it for
some time, and noticed the premonitory
| symptoms of early dissolution. l Inquired in
/ the neighborhood when the mans rent would
| be due. Two days before that time 1 made
my appearance, and got into easy converse
ton with him, in the course of which he
proposed selling out to me. Then 1 obtained
the very lowest price for fixtures, stock and
the business separately. The upshot of it
was that I would pay nothing for the bust
ness, because there was none, and cut down
the prices of stock very materially. I ap-
! T,norad +O him r. ba alOr1t 70 10 tha
when mentioned the rent. Then told him
1 could not assume so heavy an expense at
the start, and went away. Tho next day,
being the day before the rent was due,
stopped in again for a cigar, and the man
resumed the previous subject. We settled
at last, l agreeing to pay half the rent. l
demanded immediate possession and obtained
it. gave myself twenty-four hours to put
on the fancy touches. Scrubbers started
in first, and were instantly followed by cheap
paperhangers and whitewashers. Then the
whole stock was brushed up, the fresh sides
of the boxes were turned outward, unsightly
objects were flung into the yard or under
the counter and cheap but extremely
lively oilcloth was put down where it would
make the best snow. Then came the stocking
up. This is an art by itself, and great deal
it. You see, you must so arrange that in
selling out you will not only getpaid for your
business which has cost you nothing, but
make a profit ON your stock, which has cost
next door to it. OF course, l choose the
cheapest but showiest article fer business
| like this, as the man I propose to sell out to
must be a green one. A good many of that
sort buy small cigar stores, for there
- ,:r1iO Ioll
| among certain buyers of city plants though
it is an erroneous one, that anybody can run
Il cigar store. OF course, l make the Win
! dow bloom, and almost always put in a new
and brilliant chandelier of many burners.
! always insist that the incomer shall settle the
| gas bill Then I hire al assistant and adj
vertise for purchaser. l can soon tell if
| have found the right kind of chap. I talk
TO him very quietly and say little. Selling a
| business is q delicate matter. Almost the
whole point is in hitting the mans fancy
| You have fixed up your place with special
! reference to this idea, and you can soon tell
if he likes the style. If he does, let his ina
gipation work. Ii not, YOU can say nothing
useful. In either case you can tell him you
are little busy and get him to come in at
night-things always look moro lively thel
and close the transaction as soon as you
! can.
There is an interesting little point here,
which some of the unprincipled men in our
profession are My too apt to play. need
not tell you, sir, that L never but you
would not suspect me, know. They make
an appointment with would-be purchaser to
| call at, say, o'clock in the evening. Then
! they take a hundred or so of good cigars in
their pockets and visit all of their neighbors
who keep open all night, give them three or
four cigars, tell them they would be pleased
| to see them now and then, and wind up by
asking them to step in in the course OF that
evening and see how good cigar can be sold
! for 10 cents. Well, the men have already &C.
copied some Of the cigars, and the chances
are that full half of them will call in for a
minute or so in the course of the evening and
| keep the dealer and his assistant passably
| busy. Meanwhile he has stationed his prob
able buyer in an obscure corner, and if he
| plays his cards properly he will have greatly
| impressed him with the extent of the trade
OF course don't go as far as this myself.
80, yes; have bought out all kinds Of
plants. l started in originally with paint
store That venture was not a success. But
paint stores are so everlastingly hard to sell
that obtained my present knowledge Of this
kind of traffic while was working that plant
off my hands. I know one man who makes a