The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-20
"PEARCE AND PLENTY"

London Answers: one of the best
known names in London at the present
day is John Pearce, whose countless res
taurants bearing the simple legend
''Pessrce and Plenty" simply stud the me-
tropolis.
The other day, while passing one of his
cheap eating houses. Mr.. Pearce over
heard a man speaking TO friend He
Now, there's that chap Pearce; hes
made his pile and all he's got to do now
is TO stroll round and scoop in the tax
ings.''
SIr. Pearce asked him if he was ac-
quainted with the person of whom he was
speaking so freely. ard the stranger an
swered. with CHEEKY mendac:ty:
ION. yes: I've known him for years
and years.
"scooping in the taking sounds nice
and it is interesting 10 learn how this
desirable object was achieved
John Pearce, at the premature age OF
g. went out to earn his own living as best
he could.
His first venture was not what would
nowadays be called lucrative He was
errand boy TO a picture frame maker, and
received in exchange for his valuable
services the lordly sum of Is sd per week
exclusive of his meals. This, however
did not suit him-he was ambitious, and
after staying for about two years with a
]
! a builders yard In two years ne mad
/ learned his business so thoroughly thai
even to this day he never employs an
architect when he IS laying out a new
/ depot-he does his own surveying.
He then went to provision merchants
shop. where he stayed for about -four
years. But even then he was not sausiied
so he took leave of his master and hired
himself out as porter in Covent Garden
market. Wages were not high and In
1866 he found himself-in his 18th year
with no prospects and a total capital VI
fl, but with a resolute determination &c
make his fortune
One evening while returning home along
old Holborn hill the great idea struck
him: Why not start a morning coffee
stall here?' He wasted no time. He
turned about and walked off to get per
mission from the police to put his idea
into practice. But this. they said. was
dispirited. it is no wonder that he fel;
/ just then that everything was against
! him. However. at last, by dint of per-
severance, he obtained the coveted per
/ mission, and a few days more found him
! installed at o'clock every morning al
/ the corner of East road with coster S
barrow, hired at shilling week. few
boards and small coffee urn and CUPS
| ends meet, for his expenses were COM
| paratively large, asd At this period his
| takings rarely amounted to more than
| shillingS and pence day.
However. he had plenty of spare time
| so he laid out shillngs in a large Amer
| lean ham box little more in two second
hand cab wheels and springs, together
with large pot of red paint, and he SET
to work to build himself a real coffee
stall which should startle the natives OF
| City road with a vengeance. 1t took lust
nine months TO make. but when it was
done it was indeed a thing of beauty.
with its glistening scarlet sides, its snowy
| gliding. its polished brass plates. and,
to crown all. on the top of the brilliant
I rAraI nof x.rr- n
masterpiece Business began to increase
| by leaps and bounds, and at the end of a
| few years its sharp proprietor was taking
/ an average of f6 a day and was visited
every morning by about 1000 hungry early
| risers.
All this, however, meant hard work and
plenty of it, for Pearce had 10 start away
| from Hoxton at 2 o'clock sharp every
morning to the bread shop TO get new.
warm bread. and he had to be at his
stand by I, rain or shine, good health
or bad. There is not large marsin OF
profit to be made when half a pint OF
coffee is sold for one halfpenny, but
nevertheless, u months later, he had
saved the sum of f120 Now Pearce's next
thought was:
I'm a man of means. and 1 can afford
| to get married
He had already fixed his affections on a
young lady. With a huge, effort he
point, and within six weeks II was all
over. John Pearce was a married man.
He then sold 1.-The Gutter Hotel for the
sum OF 200 and looked around for some
thing larger to do.
. Our married man thought that with a
wife and the sum of 1920 he was worthy
of greater things. so he took tumble
down shop at 6S Aldersgate street for the
tailend Of a lease and started in much
larger way TO dispense cheap bread.
coffee. and other victuals to the early
rising poor who liked 10 take their meals
under shelter. When his lease expired
he heard of place in harrington street
and at once took that on long Lease
1t was from there he built up the i'm
mence network of shops, which spread
north. south. east and west. all over
Business grew and grew until his place
in Harrington street was not large
enough, and he was obliged to open other
depots in different parts of the mstrop-
oils The strain was very great ana al
tir,es he felt overpowered by the mag
nitude of the RESPONSIBILITIES resting on
his single pair of shoulders. In one OF
these bad times he was thinking, Peace
that's what l want. I've got plenty,
peace, peace and plenty. All. an idea.
Mr. Pearce is never dilatory-his name
Pearce was erased, and its stead there
appeared, in large. bright letters, the
catchy inscription. ''Pearce and Plenty.
So 'Pearce and Plenty" each one OF MS
shops is called to this day.
He is a tall. commanding looking man.
with slightly bent shoulders, a kind face,
and a wonderful head for business, There
IS. nothing OF the blatant sdSBIeS9lN Siie7
OF the self-made man about him.. and
when he speaks about himself and ms
great success it is with d humility which
cisarns all criticism year after we
LIST saw him the business became too
vast for him TO work by himself, so, with
the assistance of a friendly banker. VINO
had for a long time taken an interest,"
in his doings. company was formed
bearing his adopted name More depots
ard more still, were opened, and new
premises are still being taken, not only
for cheap feeding rooms. but the wei
Known British tea table dining saloons,
till the present number of shops amounts
l-in ell 10 81. exclusive of cheap lodging
hc-ses for the lower middle class
! Air Pearce has lost none of his old ac-
tiyity, for he leaves home at what most
people would call ridiculously early
/ hour every morning. He takes keen
-erscral interest in each of his en-
ployees, of whom there are now upwards
OF 500 and actually engages every new
hans himself. In fact. with the assist
-r.ersst In and knows as much about
| the workings of each individual place
as he did about his old Gutter hotel.
! In the days when ha'pence were 10 him
moro valuable and harder earned than
ere gold sovereigns nowadays.
y DOES not strike the ordinary man in
the street that he eats q large amount OF
mustard, but Pearce and Plenty have 10
produce no less than four and half
Q her yearly items include 900 tons Of
Potatoes, SOP tons of -four, 1sS10.Ooo eggs,
5000 gallons of milk. $4,000 pounds OF
sugar, IS 800 pounds of tea two and one
half tons of pepper. 10 tons of jam and
$50 gallons OF vinegar. But the mus