Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-09-16
THE STREET FAKIRS.
SYSTEMATIC BUSINESS CONDUCT
ED UPON A LARGE SCALE.
1t Is Controlled by Eoss Taisirs and Brings
Them In Good Profts-Thcrc Is Nothing
They VIII Not Buy and Sell Through
out City and Country.

They VIII Not Euy ana oeh Ahrough-
out City and Country.
Tho business Of the "strcct fakir" is rot
conducted, as many persons believe, upon
haphazard principles. 1t Is, on tho con-
trary, thoroughly systcinatizcd. Tho mon
with the pushcarts do not own either their
vehicles or the wares they sell They arc
commission merchants upon limited
scale. The goods are consigned to them,
and they return the proceeds of the sales
less the commission to their principals in
much the same manner as do tho million
airc dry goods men of Worth street
OF course, there is some difference DO
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 thoroughly rcgu-
lated industry, conducted in IA systematic
manner, upon business methods.
Ann street is the home of the street IA
kir, and, according to the men engaged in
the business themselves, Thomas =. Bar
rett, long since dead, was the father of tho
craft. He it was some 80 years ago, who
first set up as boss fakir" Such is the
familiar name applied to the proprietors by
the men of tho 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 tho
year and chances to turn in to inspect
Thcater alley, he will find anywhere from
so to 100 pushcarts, bearing the label,
Licensed Vcnder'' 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 "b9ss 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. Tho Bax-
ter street Italians receive % 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, or
course, the all important factors Where
do the boss fakirs' get them? Where
don't they get them2 Sometimes they arc
selling books, again it is leather goods, at
Christmas time toys and novelties, in July
1lrccrlCkcrS, DOIllDS, HTCNOThS anu
And sometimes the boss fakirs" get
hold of some very valuable articles for q
song In fact, they have not yet got over
talking in Ann street of the marvellous
success one of the craft had in buying up
the books and plates of now well known
magazine At the time in question the pub
liration had languished-failed. The timo
came for reorganization and tho manage
ment thoughtlessly sold all its back num-
bers and Plates They went for a song to
q firm in Ann street. Two or three days
later the proprietors of the magazine camo
to their senses They realized that while
they had the plant and the good WILL tho
fakirs absolutely controlled the magazine
for number OF years.
Perhaps they made 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 mo" They
knew that something was up, but just
what they We're at loss to determine.
They inquired and found that they con-
trollcd the publication and could defeat
the reorganization of the 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 tho dry goods
district, custom house sales and sales by
the public administrator. Then mt tho
close of a season they will enter some one
of the large notion houses or department
ctors,'' hnpsoS mr. clean tba iOh lots md
sample lots
This operation is tempered with judg-
ment. If tho goods are seasonablc, they
are ut once placed on the carts and sold
If they arc not adapted for immediate uses,
they are carefully assorted. Tho boss
| fakir" is n keen ono and never attempts
to sell iirecrackers, 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 plr-
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
| specialist in the city, man who follows
another odd and systematic calling-tho
dealer in pcddlers' supplies.
| The ''street fakirs" who arc employed
! by the "boss fakirs" are corralled mainly
| in the Bowery lodging houses. As II gem
eral thing they do not mako any deposit
for their goods They are consigned to
them on trust and though it is undeni-
ably true that many of them are hard
characters it Is a rare occasion that they
do not turn up to render an account OF
their sales. The "boss fakir" always
counts upon securing the return of his
original outlay and profstSesdes. This
profit he shares with the street fakir in
equal parts, deducting, however, % cents
a day for tho use of the pushcart.
The profits on street novelties vary
widely. Sometimes huckster makes as
high as $40 or s12 day. Again 1T may DO
but dollar or two, and sometimes tho
"boss fakir" has to adj ance a small
amount to carry his salesman over tho
night. If the return has been considerable
$40 or $12-the "street fakir' sets about
spending it in the Bowery dives. Hewon't
work again until reduced to his last cent