New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-14
THE SHOPPING DISTRICT.
NO MARKED SHIFTING OF ITS CENTRE
Is APPARENT.

10 ESTABLISH BRANCH STORES IN THE
OUTLYING PARTS OF THE CITY
THE ATTRACTION OF
A CROWD.
To the resident OF New-York who has watcheu
it's gradual development and Its steady CROWN '''e
shopping district while II impresses him ana eA-
cites his interest and admiration does ho' s'a "
him as II does the who returns 10 'ie
mstrono,s after a long absence. The one has seen
the little stores in the avenues go down ana ihahe
room for larger ones: he has seen the broadway
establishment develop and spread ana chahbe i'o
the od-fashioned into the modern store WI" -,
air OF elegance and refinement and coniie' 40"
atmosphere which impresses the customer WIN
confidence and precludes the fear or unlh" u'a'
ment The NEWCOMER who has watchea we
evolution AT close range has also seen the avenues
grow too small for the business and the eiilH's'"
and improved stores Inadequate TOT the ue'"
OF the shopping public. Slowly out ste"u''
overflow found room in the numbered streets ana
he has seen the hand OF commerce. with fcFe'o
for neither tradition ancestry. for Iahui''' n
nor natural beauty transform private residences
irto commercial palaces. Where veneraDie ''
In frilled caps 9nd antique costumes oe'
stories about the early knickerbockeI u"' Wv
cry OF Cash" resounds and where ancient oeau9
smoked long pipes while they recaltu III"
when Castle Garden was the pleasure PARK aHu
tho stages ran no further up Manhattan lsianu
than Houston-st bargaln-counters nave pc"
erected and people hustle and jostle one aho'"e'
for OPPORTUNITIES 10 buy freely advertised "i''
disc The evolution has been so gradual " oi"',
81 naturally that the New-Yorker harulE no''e.N
a., n,,+ tho man who has been away while the
metamorphosis In progress stahus ana"
the changed condition. and II he happens 10 De 'ne
fortunate possessor OF real estate in the o'sui1'
his a,nazement is Of the kind that brings pressure
CHANGES IN THE BUSINESS CENTRE
rredorck southack. Of Frederick southacK &
20 real estate brokers, In speaking OF inc "u-
vance in the price Of real estate in the 'et"' ''P
ping district. said; ,4,,;,, mr.
In reference 10 the change OF the -,
-, 80. .no ci,v located between Washington
souare and Forty-second-st, INTO 'he go -
wholesale drygoods district the business Cs,o
49,. h,onor rents than the residential Cohse-
,a,.1. q district that can cater 10 DuS'i'''
ro,id1v changes from the residential even III 4"
1oc,tfon where a number OF owners Ie'""'"
eethcr for several years. they are many -
~. dea,h or otherwise. and their place Is mo-
80 -. rovcomers because the more iaSh'on""'-
~ ore nreferred So gradually. the balance
~ 1900 ou, and the district becomes devoted u
business exclusively. - - h
"It is only few years ago that r'I'" a. az, -.
,veen these streets. was supposed 10 ue ~"
fines, mart OF the city for residences rms
.oo,.bs, was opened then Twenty-thFi-s'' anu
Fva llT
Washington Square the property hds
-. .,io-sr,-. whereas above Fourteenth-s-' d
80 NAM, changes have been made, espec'ans "
tween Eighteenth and Tweniy-th"1 SIS, 49,,
sou. III most handsomely built I'd portion oi 'ne
avenue for stores and Is the centre OF me VI So
trade Some OF the most expensive "D,'''',. -,
,,, ..,re are In this section, such a. the Arho''
'' |.,1i Van InGen Presbyterian Bulldlhs'
~, We have the Siegel-Cooper BulIu4i's' al
C,..b-ave between Eighteenth and Nineteetn 80.
al his has made increase IN M ,rvvarfv-
ana c l,d,.1nced even at a greater ratio De
IN now considered the very hhes' - 'rw.ntv-
~ ci., f0r retail purposes FROM ~;
tA - or Won might say T|enty-nliH-ss. -
Thirtv-fourth-st. w come mo rho triangle
rlIth,aEer A' Twenty-ifrh and Thrty-fourtn SIS
Broadway and Fith;,ay.es - from the sxh-ave
90 and the Broadway cable r0du. 49, and
II very A. 90 Nv car The rents and value oI
ground in the Shopping S 1i7y NAV bsssaid Of TIA
very Thirty-fourih and Forty-second
rs al SiIthGuCn the proportion il not so great
VIZ. ANOTHER DEPARTMENT STORE.
-,o.-,,. al ,bs, has been done to make the shop-
o.ry district a worlds market there seems - ~
80 In for inoprovement and every season of!hss
forth changes all calculated 70 HlaNe u
,rac.,ye Within year several great coi'i'i'' ia
IS have been added and more are now IN proc
- - erection. and while some people are u"ue'
Tho in,presson that there may be 100 many o
,hs -a-sons who are directly concerned nus" ~ '
ia m say that in order 10 make me uls.''V' p'
fcct there cannot be TOO many ana M "
-, scheme 20 build another great department STORE
- r,o-e magnificent and capable OF carrying
- stocks and Of more varied kinds than an!
that has vet been built. is again receiving 'ne a.
-en,ion OF capitalists shows that investors 'HiN nv
i, NJ the number OF stores in the shopping district
has not yet been reached ,
With the growth OF the city ana the hc'e'-''''s
herr districts.
itan-,f problem unsClved ana WIN nho,Cup,4 l'.'
estate suitable for comneraiaI pun Iiil ~ onesr
ueg f,e5 "a asked WHY does new shopping dstiic.
=, 10 on IN. inner West Side Merchants nave
tren asked 10 con,ribUt. toward tne solution o. me
rapid transit problem by opening ar>nSA 500 up
tonn and real estate has been offered M non'ai
S~~s 20 ternut them 10 bring their stocks where
people live in the Bou.eyaIa anu 1is pa ,b h,
without belnN compelled 70 make long ana TEDIOUS
tourney into the o.ner part OF the cry. . . -
The first argument which ne inerShan. IT, me is
ebonui1g district brings against the pIoposlIOE i
mai the railroad companies have done gu IN theT
pers 30 the popular district. and thai some lines
have laid additional uacks 9,heI nav lD ~ onra
M their rolling stock solely 20 accommodate ne
peCple VIZ 5oer bIofghf a. near n the customers %
.ald one merchant as they can pe untli NJ" ~. ans
no more A. 20 taking our goods and establishing
n~anch stores in the remote districts. thai would NJ
foily In order - make the stores at;r'ctv- Trey
would have 10 he as large a. the downtown estab-
Ushraents. and that would NOT pay Women wan
I
oosfor or a piece Of tape a whaeDone n possibly
a n,.r Of storm shoes but when they want some
fh'ng nice either for their own adornment or Tor
her household they 90 whore there j. biz dis
NAV a large assortment. and where they can see
others They complain about the crowded cars and
the crush In the stores but these very points are at
,ractve features 70 them and Il the shopping dis
fr1of mad loss crush n would be less attractive.
Il am sure that store with an the features as
10 building and merchandise in the various depart
mems OF the largest store In the world. II erected
r IA ri OF the city where no other store existed.
v-berf il would Isolated. while II might attract
atfcu1ion and have some patronage. would ulti-
rnaf.,v be a monumental financial failure. because
shoppers would not go there except 10 see II as a
novety People go whore there Is magnrcence,
ard immensely either OF building or stock In trade
vii ALWAYS be the greatest attraction The Fair Al
chicago was the Illustration OF that principle
I, made Chicago great. II was Colossal and beau
fifli beyond expectation and u was successful on
mar account II Chicago had held fair every
year FOR nfty years. and each one had been one