The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-11-28
THE WHOLESALE GROCERY HOUSE
OF s. ALBERT.
THE LARGEsT ESTABLISH.
MENT OF ITS KIND SOUTH
OF ST. LOUIS.
=. Alberta Sight Not to BE een
Elsewhere in the State south of
st. LouiS.

st. LouiS.
We visited yesterday the big
wholesale and retail house OF Judge
). Albert, On corner of Themis and
Water streets, IN this city, and were
shown through the big establishment
by the gcntlemanly and clever pro-
prietor. The house is the largest
business house in this city as well as
the oldest established. 1t was a
grocery and commission house when
many of the gray-haired men who
now reside here we're little barefoot
ed boys playing marbles Oh the COM
mons where now stand some of our
most substantial buildings, and the
house is known throughout South
east Missouri AID far into Arkansas.
for before the building of the Iron
Mountain Railroad through South
cast Missouri this old corner house
was the general supply house for a
large scope of country in this State,
Arkansas and Illinois, and country
merchants came from far and near to
purchase their goods. The house has
been a business house for more than
forty years, and numerous are the !
men that have made their little pile
OH the corner where Judge Albert is
now doing business.
Way back n the forties the grocery
and commission business was a bo-
nanza and big profits were made Oh
everything handled. Then this Sec
ton # country was sparsely settled
aud of course there was nc such de-
mand for goods then as there is to-
day. Whisky, sugar, coffee, salt and
molasses comprised the stock of a
grocery house then and a small sum
OF money paid for a large stock of such
goods. Now it is different, and q
wholesale and retail grocery house,
ike that of Mr.. Albert's; must carry
a complete stock of everything to be
found in the market-which means
hundreds of articles that were un-
known to the Old time grocery
merchant. All these articles cost
money, and TO carry a big stock to
supply both the wholesale and retail
trade requires an immense capital.
Mr.. Albert has just fitted up the
rooms in the second and third stories
of his big house on the corner where
he has been for so many years and he
has the building filled with goods
from basement to roof. lie has
everything that is known to the
grocery trade in lots to supply the
demand. wholesale aud retail. Both at
nome and to the surrounding coun-
try. BESIDES this house he OWNS q
large two-story building near the
Union Mills which he tells us is pack
ell from the ground floor to the
roof.
Mr.. Albert avs .ka; were the pro-
made OH groceries now that used
to be made he could. handling the
goods he IS now handling, make a
dray load of money in a short time.
But that time is past. Profits are
HOW so small that only a small mar
gin is made. and on some articles the
business man who holds his own and
gets first cost is doing well. Espec-
tally is this the Isl in the wholesale
grocery trade. This makes it neccs-
sary for the men engaged in that
to invest big money before
they a expect to do business with
a profit. This Mr.. S. Albert has
done. He has nor capital invested
in the grocery aud commission bust
ness than any other man doing
business Oh the Mississippi River be-
tween St. Louis and Memphis, and
the people of Cape Girardeau eau
well afford to be proud of the S. AL
bert wholesale house, for it is not on
v an advertisement for the city but
it is q convenience for our people
both in the city and country.