Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-24
THE STREET FAKIRS.
A SYSTEMATIC BUSINESS CONDUCT
ED UPON A LARGE SCALE.

1t Is Controlled by Boss Fatirs and Brings
Them In Good Profits-There Is Nothing
They Will Not Buy and Sell Through
out City ard Country.
The business of tho street fakir" is not
conducted as many persons believe, upon
haphazard principles. 1t is, on the con-
trary, thoroughly systematized. The men
with the pushcarts do not own either their
vehicles or the wares they sell. They are
commission merchants upon a limited
scale. The goods are consigned to them,
and they return the proceeds of the sales,
less tho commission, to their principals in
much the same manner as do the million
aire dry goods men of Worth street.
OF course there is some difference be-
tween the merchant of Worth street and
the fakir of Ann street. 1t is one of de-
gree, however, more than Of nature. The
comparison is made to call attention to
the fact that taking is u thoroughly rcgu-
lated industry, conducted in systematic
manner, upon business methods.
Ann street is the home of the street fa-
kir and, according to the men engaged in
lllt DlSllCSS llltlllStlNtS, lIOlllttS IOdT-
rett long since dead, was the father of the
craft He it was, some 80 years ago, who
first set up as boss fakir." Such is the
familiar name applied to the proprictors by
the men of the pushcarts. The boss ia
kris, " two or three of whom practically
control the business in New York, describe
themselves as dealers in street novelties. "
If one happens to be in the vicinity of
Ann street and Broadway any night in the
year and chances to turn in to inspect
Thcater alley he will find anywhere from
80 to 100 pushcarts, bearing the label,
Licensed Vender." The majority of
them, licenses and all, are part of the stock
In trade of the "boss fakirs." When it be-
comes necessary to throw out a greater
number of men then there are carts, dur
ing the holiday season or before the Fourth
of July for instance, the "boss fakirs" are
able to hire additional carts, and licenses,
too, in Baxter street. The renting of such
property, it seems, is one of the peculiar
irregular industries of the city. The Bax-
ter street Italians receive 25 cents day for
the rental of surplus carts and vendors
licenses.
While the carts are necessary article in
street taking, the goods to be sold are, Of
course the all important factors Where
do the boss fakirs" get them? Where
don't they get themP Sometimes they are
selling books, again it is leather goods, at
Christmas time toys and novelties in July
firecrackers, bombs fireworks and the like.
And sometimes the "boss fakirs" get
hold of some very valuable articles for a
song In fact, they have not yet got over
Npl1 81 l,
success one of the craft had in buying up
the books and plates Of a now well known
magazine. At the time in question the pub
LEGATION had languished-failed. The time
came for reorganization and the manage
ment thoughtlessly sold all its back num-
bers and plates. They went for a song to
a firm in Ann street. Two or three days
later the proprietors of the magazine came
to their senses. They realized that while
they had the plant and the good will, the
fakirs absolutely controlled the magazine
for number of years.
Perhaps they made a second mistake, for
If anything boss fakir" is shrewd, and
So when the magazine people within a
week offered five times the price at which
they had disposed of the articles for their
return, the "fakirs" said mol" They
knew that something was up, but just
what they were at loss to determine.
They inquired and found that they con-
trolled the publication and could defeat
the reorganization of tho company. The
bid for the property was raised and raised
again, and eventually the property was
sold back. In Ann street it is reported
that the "fakirs" divided something like
S25 900 on that little deal
Such opportunities do not come often.
As a rule the "boss fakirs" obtain their |
wares at auction sales in the dry goods |
district custom house sales and sales by |
the public administrator Then at the |
close of a season they will enter some one
of the large notion houses or department |
store" houses and clean up the job lots and |
sample lots.
This operation is tempered with judg |
ment' If the goods are seasonable, they |
are at once placed ON the carts and sold. |
If they are not adapted for immediate uses,
they are carefully assorted. The "boss
fakir" is a keen one and never attempts
to sell flrecrackers, straw hats and palm
leaf fans in January, nor will he put out
his china dolls, Noah's arks Christmas
books and papier mache Santa Clauses in
July. Then, too, in looking over his pur-
Chases he may find some choice goods-a
dress pattern of silk, or carton of under
wear or something of real value These
the chances are, he will sell to another