The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-06
DRY GOODS.
Bolster, Snow & Co.


located at No. ia Middle street. Is
tablished in 1884, tho enterprise and push
OF Bolster, Snow & Co, have greatly in
creased tho extent of their business and
placed it ON that strong financial basis
which is due TO their sound business
policy.
Occupying spacious premises in their
business, they carry q heavy stock of
carefully chosen goods, including only
such materials as appeal to the best taste
and meet the wants of their custom ers.
Always satisfying the popular demand,
they do q large business throughout
Maine New Hampshire and Vermont.
HTilliken. C.,usens 6 Short.
Abe most exten sive dealers in dry
goods, small wares, furnishing goods and
clothinA, in the STATED of Maine are located
in tho fa4r-story and basement brick
building 571S162 feet in dimensions al
1914 and 1863 Middle street. corner of
Market, Portland. Here the firm Of
Miliiken, CousSns & Short continue tho
business estaelisAed in Ese5iby Deering,
MilliBsn & Company. the style of the
firm changing in 1885 TO. til at of W. FL.
MiIlihen 6 Company and 1891 to the
present firm name OF MIliazen, consans
q Short, composed of w. H. Milliken,
Clark and Oliver Hay.
In addition to their business of COM
mission and wholesale dry g Gods, gents
furnishing goods and small wares, this
firm a8e also extensive manufacturers
of clothing, which with the other lines
OF goods handled finds II. srEet in the
New England States and NORTHERN New
York, in tine sale of which ,nwenty trav-
cling statesmen are employed while a
force Of twenty additional employees are
on the pay roll OF the house. AS neces-
sary adjunct in the general conduct OF
business that also reqTires the use Of
q four-srory brick ore-,houso on Conf
mercial street, in which to carry suffic-
lent stock to supply the demands of their
trade.
The salesroom and offices of the firm
are on the first floor of 1854 andl 166 Mid.
die street and are connected with the
other parts of the building by elevators
operated by electric motor, call bells,
speaking tubes and modern conveniences
necessary to the conduct of the large
business which makes their location in
Portland municipal advantage to
boast OF.
VIM. N. Prince & Co.
In 1894 the Dry Goods house of VIM.
n. Prince & Co. was established at 255
Middle street, by Mr.. VIM. N. Prince
Two years later Mr.. Jos. S. Ham was
taken into the business under the firm
name of VIM. N. Prince & Co.
A young and enterprising firm, these
gentlemen have adhered steadily to
modern business methods, and close at
tention to business as well as good in
sight into their customers wants have
fr,rr6 don rrE
for their line Of goods which covers everg
variety of fancy goods, small wares and
gents furnishings.
Eastman Brothers g. Bancroft.
AS wholesale and retail dealers in dry
goods, the firm OF Eastman Brothers &
Bancroft is composed of Briceno NJ. East
man, Ermon D. Eastman and Fred E.
Eastman, who as firm have historical
connection with the later growth and
development of the city of Portland. 1t
is to the energy, pluck and foresight OF
this firm that Portland is indebted to the
present prosperity and prospective sue
cess of the city as market which at
tracts from the adjacent cities and towns
purchasers of dry goods and other COM
modities at RETAIL
Organized in 1865 the firm has been
continuous in business up to the present
time, with Mr.. L. D. Eastman as sole
proprietor up to 1880 at which time Mr..
w. P. Bancroft was admitted to partner
ship, Mr.. E. D. Eastman retiring from
active participation to engage in other
business. In the year 1888 death removed
Mr.. Bancroft from the firm and Mr.. e.
D. Eastman again became active in its
business affairs. This was followed by
&I0.. Il, 10, 4l,oA -v1l nE Mr. ErQ
E. Eastman as the Junior member The
history of Eastman Brothers & Bancroft
has ever been progressive. The only bar
to it's daily advancement was tempo
rary halt of few hours occasioned by
the great fire of 1896. which caused such
great loss to Portland property and its
commercial interests as to be even now
keenl2 felt and to mark that year as an
epoch in the citv's history.
Saving small portion of their stock
out of a fire hat swallowed up many
millions of dollars worth OF property, the
courage and ability of Eastman Bros.
served as an incentive and example for
others. This is shown by the fact that
the day following the great confagration
of 1866 found them again supplying the
needs of the people over counters in the
store numbered 534 Congress street.
Here pluck and good business manage
u
ment were rewarded by success, requiring
first one floor then another and another,
until the entire building became too
small to accommodate the ever increas-
ing patronage, and resulting in the removal
to a more commodious establishment in
the Kimball Block, which although not
half the size of the magnificent structures
now devoted to the conduct of their bust
ness of to-day, was in those days consid-
cred large. The presumptuous undertak-
ing Of the larger store and its expenses
at that time, were considered hazardous,
and the undertaking of its profitable man
agement thought to be very doubtful
venture by the more conservative of our
business concerns. But success followed
the advances of the firm, and the present
magnificent blocks of stores and office
buildings that stand on each side of
Congress street from the City Hall to
High street are the result of following,
where as pioneers, Eastman Bros. s.
Bancroft blazed the way.
DRAPERIES AND CARPETS.