The Dickinson press., 1889-03-09

MONEY IN OLD SHOES,

MONEY IN OLD SHOES,
SECOND HAND DEALERS WHO
ABOUND IN LARGE CITIES.
a Chat with One of the Biggest Dealers
In tho Country Where the Supply
Comes From-Trade Only in Mems Shoes.
People with Tender Feet.
a sharp looking, well dressed man sat in
the Bingham house smoking cigar and
reading newspaper.
That's the biggest man in his line of bust
ness in this country" said the clerk, indicat-
ing the sharp looking man by rapid motion
of the eye.
And what is his business!"
Second hand shoes, and there's big money
in it. too can tell YOU"
On being judiciously approached the sharp
looking man proved affable and communica-
tive. IL imagine" said he, that few people
have any idea of the extensive trade that is
annually done in second hand boots and shoes
i'll this country. lsuppose you think, a, most
people do, that none but the very poor people
would condescend to wear the left off shoes
OF othsr folks. In all cities and large towns
You may notice shops for tho sale of second
hand boots and Shoes At some time or
another, dare say, you have had shabby
looking man call at your house and inquire
if you had any cast off shoes to sell If YOU
have ever given the matter a passing thought,
no doubt the shabby man and the second hand
sioe store are connected in your mind. You
conclude that the itinerant purchaser of cast
off foot wear sells the result of his days
tramp to those who keep tho second hand
hoo shops, and that from that source alone
he derives his supply.
COLLECTOR AND CUSTOMER.
Nothing of the kind, sir-nothing of the
kind. Tho few people i'll my line of business
for, thank goodness, our trade is not rs yet
quite as overcrowded as most others-fur-
'iish vast majority of the second hand shoe
stores with their goods. The headquarters
of my firm is in New York, aud us we are
tho biggest people in our line, nearly all tho
collectors i'll that city and for miles around
bring the best of tho contents of their daily
bags to u.s. Its 10 uso bringing tho rub
bish, us they know we don't handle it. We
keep bred examiners -nen who know all
about shoes worth kuowlng-and they earn
every dollar we pay them i'll examining shoes
and BOTS from u. Ill. to Gp. Ill. every day
OF the week except Saturday.
I'm this way We buy from l,00o to $500
pairs day. The best of these, say about
one-half, are cleaned, paired and go into
stock, classified i'll qualities and us nearly rs
possible III sizes. The remainder 20 into ou,
repairing department, whero they are rcsoled
aud hec!ed, aud subsequently nearly all cA
ported. We have also collecting agents, moi
buyers OF private people, but agents whopur
chase on our account from the collectors
here in Philadelphia, Boston. Baltimore, Chi
caGo and few other cities From thest
sources We gather about as many us wo do il
New York. All the country stuff is treated
tho same as that which comes to us direc
from the collector
Altogether we do pretty extensive busi
ness, sending out daily moro boots and shoes
than most of the manufacturers, but then
you see, there arc not a dozen people in ou1
business all told, and shoemakcrs, wholesale
and retail, are numbered by tho thousand
We never buy a Shoe that has the slightest
cut or crack i'll the uppers, as this would
necessitate patching, and the sort of people
Who buy high priced second hand shoes would
not look at dlsfigurcd pair. Still these have
marketable value and the collector car
give quarter for u slightly cracked pail
anu resell to the 'restorer' or dealer in mucl
worn second hand shoes at profit, and liz
Will retail them at u profit of from Z:
cents to $l.5O after he has fixed them up
Of course this sort of stuff is only patched
up, it don't pay for resoling and hecling
We only deal i'll mems Shoes There is 1T
market for second hand women's foot wear OF
good quality. You cannot get the ladies t,
wear left off shoes any how You might as
well ask them to wear second hand gloves ol
discarded bangs" +"
THE TRADE In PHILADELPHIA
In this city tho retail trade in second hand
shoes OF fine grade and in good condition doe.
not flourish to any extent. Worn footgcal
of this character, however, is to be found il
a few dinsy looking shops i'll the neishbor
hood of Sixth and Spruce streets and along
South street by those who have no prcjutli.t
against wearing dead mems Shoes" or eli
casing their pedal extremities in the cast oil
soles and uppers of fashionable folk. In one
of these establishments an ostensible pur
chaser was shown second hand shoes of al
styles and sizes, ranging in prices from ST. 81
to s3 pair. All these goods were evidently
of fine make. The leather was soft and pli
able, tue stitching Closet and fine, md although
the "uppers had evidently already done gooe
service, no cracks were observable. But ,l
the style and finish was confined to til,
"uppers," for i'll every instance tho shoes hat
been resoled and heeled in rough-and- ready
fashion. Several pairs still bore the name.
Of well known New York and London max
ers, while between the heel and sole Of one
shoe the name of Helbestern, Paris" wa.
still clearly to be made out.
One dealer said that high priced second
hand shoes actually lasted longer than new
ones sold at about the same price. The bes
second hand goods he claimed, were the cast
OTIS OF wealthy people who would not wear 6
shoe an hour after it had lost it's shape, anG
consequently the uppers were in many cases
really as good as new.
Another class of people, he said, were regu
lar customers at his shop, whose feet were sc
tender that they could not wear new shoe
under any circumstances Some of these
unfortunate folks would spend an hour at q
time in trying on forty or fifty pairs of shoes
until at last they found one exactly suited tc
the unhappy idiosyncracies of their "poor
feet" This particular dealer in "discarded
understandings does not handle any of tho
much worn and common lines OF second hand
goods. He buys the shoes just as they are
purchased by the wholesale dealer in New
York, and keeps two men constantly em
ployed in resoling and heeling his purchases
before retailing them to that eccentric por.
ton OF the community whose patronage he
enjoys. Philadelphia Times.
Wanted: "A National Air.
America is as yet unprovided with national
air possessing the breadth and dignity worthy
Of great country. There are several tunes