The evening world., 1888-01-14
WORDS FROM THE PEOPLE.
STORES In WHICH 1T TAKES A GOOD
MANY TRADES TO MAKE A DOLLAR

Business Gravitatcs From Them to the Biz
Houses on the Avenues-Thcir Customers
Buy Very sparinEly Because Money IL
scarce and Hard to Get-No Profit In
Coal mt the Present High Prices.
More talks with grocers in the side streets
are given by The EVENING WORLD to-day,
If grocers are not always hopeful, they at
least show that they are doing the best that
they can to get along in the world, and they
show, too, how naturally success breeds suc-
cess, in that the trade gravitates most natu-
rally to the stores in the arteries of the city
the venue
William Grogan, of 213 East T~wenty-ffth
street, says: Business is passable. There IL
q living in it and that is about all. 1 have
been located here three or four months, butt
will not be here three or four months longer.
1 can get q living at work at anything. What's
the use Of my working from 4 O'Clock in the
morning until 9 at night and worrying. over
it, too ?"
Henry Beckman, of PAL East Twenty,
second street, is a thoughtful, well-informed
man. He has a well-stocked grocery and
sells everything in the line to customers,
most Of whom are employed in Oabler's
piano factory opposite. People seem to be
as we'll off this year as in former years." says
Mr.. Beckman, /" and they buy what they can
pay for. People living in tenement-housea
have only one room. How can they keep q
supply on hand? The fault is with the
owners of such buildings. They make one
large room to rent for living, eating and Sleep
ing in. People pay So or 80 a month for little
holes that ought not to bring more than IS or
| Sc. for in all parts of the city there are
placards To Let on every house, ~particu-
larly on the east side. My customers buy
pals of coal, some half.p,ails; and an odd one
D.. Galeano, of 2O2 East Twenty-fif street,
deals in Italian eplcurean delicacies and
finds his customers mainly among his fellow
countrymen, although many Americans aps
preciate his wares. His trade is good-better
than last year-and he is satisfied.
Theodore Draued, of 225 East Twenty-sec-
ond street. has q small stock of groceries.
His wife attends to the store while he is aA
We used to trust. and we stopped. So now
the old customers come no more. We used
| to keep coal and wood, but they got to cost
so much that We could not afford to sell them
any longer"
Christina Ekholm, of 223 East Twenty-sec-
ond street, who has a very small stock of gro-
ceries in a very small store, says MY hus-
band works every day, and l can make q lit
uB something III my bpore. MY custOmerb
are usually poor people who buy only little
things. oh my it takes a good many trades
to make a dollar. l can make my rent and
help some ON the living, too but this winter
1 don know what ails business. 1t is very
poor"
Powell Welkner. of 2O4 East Twenty-second
street, says: Business is just middling. /
have been located here two months, and /
have built up some trade with the working
people of the neighborhood. Many of them
are quite poor, and they buy only small
quantities at a time. But they pay for every
thing when they get it, or at least I have no
losses from the credit system"
James McGovern, of 221 East Twenty-frst
street, has an unpretentious grocery in the
basement of his house. He says: Business
is pretty good, My customers are working
people generally, and l sell many q pailful Of
coal at 10 cents and quarts of potatoes at 2
cents. There is not much profit in either"
G.. II. Witte q Bro, grocers, of 227' East
Twenty-frst street, have their store packed
as full of nicely selected goodsa as it win hold,
and report that business is good, although id
is quiet since New Years. Their customers
are the families of men on salary, and who
buy, not sparingly, but with a sensible view
to economy.