Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-19
WHITELEy'S PLACE.
A VISIT TO THE UNIVERSAL PRO-
WIDER" OF LONDON.

AWslT TO THE UNIVERSAL PRO-
| WIDER" OF LONDON.
One Of the Wonders Of tho world al
Trade-The Famous Bon Ma-cse Of
Paris Outdone-A Whole Conserics OF
Stores.
Whiteley's establishment is one of thu
wonders of the world Of trade Compare
lively few Americans visit it, as it is far
away from what is known as the Ameri-
can beat e., from the Langham
hotel to the Metropole. Compared
to the trade kingdom over which
. single proprietor, William Whiteley.
rules, such mere overgrown dry goods
stores as the Louvre and the Bon Marche
In Paris are but simple affairs. White
Ieys is not a store, but whole congeries
OF stores, each as accessible TO but as dis
tlnct from the other as the dining room is
| from the parlor on a floor with folding
doors. What in the usual run of dry
| goods stores occupies a counter or at
most but room-such as the silk depart
ment, the linen department, the costume
department, etc.-has at Whiteley's q
large and imposing store to itself. The
leWelry store is superb establishment,
the furniture house is magnificent; china,
glass, lronmongery, dressmaking, sewing
machines, coifures, toys, Japanese and
Indian curios, each and all have stores
devoted exclusively to themselves, large
openings giving communication through
the entire series of establishments.
ADDITIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS.
This would be wonderful enough, but
there are surprises at Whiteley's; pro-
vision store Of extensive dimensions ad-
joins an excellent restaurant, the restau-
rant leads into the aviary, conservatory
and 1--we stock establishments. There is
well supplied WOOD and coal Office Pr
mos are upstairs In store Of their own:
lear them is large hall, decorated with
flags, statuary, tables and chairs in pro-
fusion. Here @ dinner of several hundred
covers may be given, or ordered for any
place, town or country, with every aces
sorry, from the banquet itself to the
waiter who serves it; all provided by
Whiteley. had nearly forgotten to name
charming picture gallery, where MANY
original works of great beauty are dis
played, and where orders are taken for
copies OF any masterpiece on the walls of
any of the great galleries of Europe
Whitley is also a banker You may buy
or sell money on his premises. You may
take your passage by any steamer for any
port. You may hire servant; bury de-
ceased friend; put your belongings up at
auction; purchase, sell, build or take down
house. In short, there is not a single
transaction in life relating to trade which
Whiteley is not willing to make for YOU.
No wonder he calls himself "the uniyer-
sal provider." Such business as White
leys must speedily make man bank
rupt or millionaire; apd as disaster has
not overtaken him. it is presumed that
whitley has good account at his own
and other banks. His establishment has
suffered frequently from fires, whose
strangely persistent recurrence irresist-
IDLY suggests incendiarism
In the matter of cheapness I find verv
little difference between Whiteley's and
other establishments which are not es-
pecially devoted to wealthy customers, as
are Gillow's in the furniture line, and
Lewis q Allenby in the dry goods. An
honest price prevails, and if an American
visitor sees anything he or she likes at
Whiteleys, would advise him or her to
purchase it without further ado, as it |
would be waste of time to run ell over
,
. lower price.
AT THE BON MARCHE.
For one American who has heard OF 7.
Whiteley's in London, ninety and nine I
have heard of the Bon Marcne in Paris. |
Persons who know no other single word |
In French are aware that bon marche |
means cheap" This famous store is in |
deed a marvellous place Outside of /
few little knickknacks known as articles |
de Paris, the vast establishment is en- /
tirely devoted to the sale of dry goods.
No wonder the American woman, with her .
national love for shopping. revels in
hours spent in fitting from one counter
to another. Gloves are to the right of |
her, flowers to the left of her, silks are in /
front of her, lace is beyond Are these
beautiful things really, or only in ap-
pearance, cheap? Why, the truth is they
are sold at the market price Examine
well anything that is offered below the
current rates, and you will discover .
reason.
will call the attention of American
ladies' to q custom which prevails at the
larger shops in Paris, By which our coun-
trywomen are misled, though no deceit is
put upon them; it arises:simply
from difference of custom between the
French and American merchant When
price is seen upon remnant in America,
The purchaser knows that the marked
igure is the price of the whole remnant,
while in France the marked figure means
per yard or rather meter, according to the
French measurement. Thus, if an Arneri-
an lady sees some attractive pieces Of
ace or silk, marked variously from 50 to
80, and decides to take some or many Of
hese remnants, it comes, as a very dis
agreeable surprise, to find out that the
articles were at so much per yard, and
hat the shopkeeper viii now measure tho
ards. Often the price is but few SOUS
eduction per yard on the original figure
sked. and the purchaser finds herself
With awkward lengths of goods she was
empted TO buy only IN the Mrs. Toodles
'pirit. To be sure, at the Bon Marche
he privilege is given Of exchanging
4rticles which purchaser may be dis
atisfed with--if no harm has conc to
hem. Even money is, under certain cir
returDed.-London Cor. Bos-
on Transcript.