St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-07

more than made up for light sales in
January and February, while April has
opened with much promise. This is
generally true of other branches of the
retail trade. One surprising fact is that,
with the enormous amount of build
ing going OH, retail hardware men
say that times are dull, and that there is
no appreciabe increase in sales over last
year. The reason for this is in the SIM
pie fact that st. Paul has much larger
number of hardware houses than year
ago, and the trade is more divided. So
1t has been in many other lines of trade,
and when this is considered it is seen
that the retail business is more than
holding its own in comparison with 1888
or any other year in the history of the
city. Good weather Is essential to a
good spring trade. This May-in- April,
which the city and state are enjoying,
is looked at with suspicion by many,
who expect another cold snap or a dis
agreeable spell, and this is holding back
Much of the trade which retailers do
not now look for until the end OF the
month. Then all hope for a large in
crease in sales and great Improvement
III the summer business over that of last
year.
FROM BRADSTREETS.
"The outlook is showing marked i'm
prOvement aSTthe season advances"
said G. G. COchrane, manager of Brad
streets, to the GLOBE. ''In the earlier
part the outlook for Minnesota and the
Northwest was dubious. There was a
seeming uncertainty as to the quantity
of marketable product in the state. and
rather Slow collections helped out that
feeling. While collections have not
been anything to brag of, it has been
found that there is more or less money
III the country, and sales of merchan-
disc have increased materially as the
weeks have gone by. showing feeling
OF more confidence. Failures have been
few. A great many extensions and set
Elements have been made between
debtors and creditors where assets have
been ample, but debtors have been un-
able to realize upon them. | have no
figures to compare the spring trade this
year with that of last, but know that in
some lines the sales have been greatly
months of 1888. Everything indicates
a fairly good year-so good that there
will be no cause for complaint. There
is large immigration to the Pacific
coast, and, in my opinion, much of this
is certain to drift back to Montana and
the DakotaS. Locally there is great
deal of activity. 1t was expected that
rents would come down, but they re-
main firm. The large number of people
looking for houses Indicates most decid-
edly that there is considerable new
growth in st. Paul"
This well sums up the situation. III
the wholesale quarter of st. Paul there is
rush and hurry and hustle which iDdl-
Gates large and prosperous business,
while the retail districts show a graft
flying activity all things considered.
Now as to building:
WHERE THERE IS BOOM.
The year 1888 was one of unparalleled
activity in building operations in st.
Paul, and what will be some of the
finest business and office blocks IN the
entire country were put well under
way, while others, for which permits
were taken out the preceding year.
were completed. None but the most
stable city, one founded upon substan-
| tial business interests, and a great
and rich country all about MAX
ing it a metropolis of trade, could hope
to maintain its growth through the
dull times the country has been and
is experiencing. Yet the record of the
first three months of 1889, compared
with the corresponding months of the
| preceding year, shows magnificent
| increase in the building operations in
! st. Paul, while it is well known
that many buildings of great size and
cost, to be erected the coming summer,
have not yet been put on record. Every
body has heard the complaint OF hard
! times and a tight money market, yet
| there is no foundation for it if one
| looks at the volume of trade in this
| city, and the enormous amount of
building going on and being arranged
II
! growth in St.Paul, but steady growth /;
and that it now not only equals, but
| surpaSses the record of preceding
years, tells of the character of the city
as nothing else could do.
| In looking over the building permits
issued for the three full months of 1889,
ODe is struck by the fact that few large
business blocks appear i'll the list. Last
year the first three months permits in
cluded many such buildings, and before
| the present month is ended several will
be added to tue list, among them the
| new opera house. But SO far nearly all
the permits issued in 1889 have
been for homes and tenements.
Each year st. Paul is becoming more
and more city of homes. The people
who come to st. Paul find at the end of
a year that they have come to stay.
| With business prosperous, with a de-
lightful climate, and with a charming
city, they are thoroughly satisfied, and
they set about to build a home. So,
after all, it is not surprising to find that
of the 723 permits issued for buildings
during January, February and March
great majority are for comfortable
homes in desirable localities. At the
| great boom in building, however, every
body was surprised. There is an old
saying that buried money always comes
to the surface. With the cry of hard
times abroad some are content to be-
| lieve this. adding that of the buried
money st. Paul has certainly her full
share. 1t is to be questioned if any
city of the country, in proportion to
population, can begin to compare with
| st Paul in building for the first three
months of the present year.
In the first three months of 1888 the
| permits for buildings numbered 463.
| For the three months of this year the
permits issued reached total of 723,
an increase of 65 per cent. The esti-
mated value of the buildings for the
same period in 1888 was S662. $40, while
for 1889 it runs up to the grand total of
81, ,447, ,315-an increase of over 100 per
| cent. This is, indeed, record to be
| proud of. Each year there has been a
| steady Increase month after month, as
| will be seen by the following compare
| tive table:
1888 1889.
No. Est. Value No. Est. Value
5sR IS s 5sSS IS IS s5s2 IS
|