The Portland daily press., 1892-01-22
TREND OF RETAIL TRADE.
Southwark Movement Illustrated by Pray
g. Co.'S Change of Location.

from the Boston Herald.]
Southwark the course of business
takes it's way in this city.
A generation ago the retail dry goods
trade centred in Hanover street. Slow
ly but steady, however, it has moved
upon its way southerly, hating at inter
walls, but never for more than few
years. Probably it comes nearer to be-
ing anchored today than at any time
during the past half century.
AS with dry goods SO with other lead
ing lines of retail business. The carpet
house of John II. Pray, Sons & Co. offers
conspicuous example of this. At the
time it was founded, in 1917, Mr.. Prays
modest shop was in Washington street,
near Cornhill. AS the years have passed,
however, they have seen the firm success
sively outgrow one store after another,
changing its location gradually south
ward, and, to adapt Goldsmith to the
occasion, dragging at each remove a
lengthening chain-of customers.
In 1854 the firm was at No. 81; but the
great fire Of 1872 found it opposite the
old Marlboro Hotel, where it had been
for dozen years or so. Building and
contents yielded to the terrible onslaught
OF flame, and when again the familiar
sign was displayed to Bostonians it hung
above the large block Nos. 55e and $50.
Once more, however, the firms
quarters, though very extensive, have
proved inadequate to satisfy the demands
of a growing business, and it is now to be
found in new establishment, which it
owns and entirely occupies at Nos. 646 to
65S Washington street, nearly opposite
Boylston street.
The new store is on historic ground.
Across the street stood for many years
Boylston market long familiar land
mark. When the latter structure was
built, in 1909, it was considered to be on
the outer margin of the town. The land
cost but Is cents foot, and it was a
"corner lot" too Times have indeed
changed when a large retail establish
ment goes into what were the outskirts
50 years ago, in order to secure a central
location.
Almost next door to the new Pray estab-
large and beautiful elm, under which the
ssSons of Liberty were organized in 1865,
and beneath whose boughs and in the
square about it the great elderly meet
ings' were held. Here the efigies of
the men who opposed the stamp act
were exposed, and here momentous
movements had their birth.
The tree flourished for 1l9 years 1t
was cut down during the siege of Bos-
ton, by a party of men paid for their
work by the Tories and the British sol
diers, to the great grief Of the patriotic
people Of the town.
The new Pray establishment extends
through from GAG to 658 Washington
street to Harrison avenue. The building
is six stories high above the basement,
and stands upon lot of land containing
"a, 900 square feet, or rather more than
half an acre. The total cost of the edifice
and it's site has been $3.50, 900,
The structure, it is hardly necessary
to state, is fitted with every
modern convenience for the tram
saction of the firms business and
the comfort Of its occupants albeit
there has been no attempt at ostentatious
display, the fittings being in accord with
the solid and substantial characteristics
of this typical Boston house.
There are four elevators, two of which
are for freight purposes solely and in the
spacious basement is powerful electric
lighting plant. There is also an automa-
tic fire alarm system, covering the entire
building, in connection with which is
self-acting sprinlkling apparatus which is
considered sufficient to hold in check, if
not to extinguish, any incipient blaze.
1t will be interesting to observe the
manner in which the southwark trend of
retail business in Boston will next mani
fest itself May it not yet be that some
of the large establishments at present
located north Of Boylston and Essex
streets will find it necessary to move, in
order to avoid being considered ''too far
down town.