The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-08-02
CRISPINIAN ROW
Rival Cobblers Furnish Fun
for the Residents of
the Heights.
BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
And Both Against a Stranger, Whom
They Are Trying to Run Out
Of Business.

Three rival cobblers are located on
Monticello avenue, on the single block be-
tween Astor place and Belmont avenue.
Two of them are brothers, each Of whom
is trying to do the other, and together,
they are ~endeavoring to put the third
man out of business. To accomplish this
they have resorted to many schemes and
devices which have done them little good,
but have afforded the ~neighboring store
keepers endless amusement. In the mean
time the subject of their united attacks
has been quietly mindnig his own bust
mes, according to those who ave watched
with interest the developments in the
triangular fight, and has incidentally
absorbed so much of the business of his
opponents that it has been necessary for
him to work overtime to properly handle
1T.
For more than a year "Eddie's Lightning
Shoe Shop at No. 139 Monticello avenue
mad a monopoly of the business in that
locality. Six months ago a rival
appeared in the person of b.
Blum, who opened THE Chicago
Shoe Store, In a little 6x1s store,
at No. $50, directly opposite Eddie's- The
a oAiiC bC6o4 - EiiASR aAt~
by elaborate announcements, to secure the
trade of the older established place.
Three months after B.. Blum opened his
shop. his brother S. Blum, who, for rea-
sons best known to himself, spells his
name Bloom, hired the little shanty at
No. 141, next door to Eddie's place n
declared himself ready to cobble shoes
cheaper and better than any man in the
business. Since that time the war of the
rival cobblers has been raging fast n
furious.
When the fun began it cost sixty cents
to have a pair of shoes half soled and
heeled; now the same work is done for
thirty-five cents, and, if the fight con-
tinues, the price will probably become
even lower. The Blums began by cutting
the price fifty cents. Eddie dropped to
a like amount. Next S. Blum put an an
nouncement in his window offering two
cents to each child bringing him a pair
of shoe to be cobbled. His brother re-
taliated by offering three cents Eddie
wouldn't stoop to such methods, and soon
the others found that it didn't pay n
abandoned it. In the next battle Eddie
ND one knows his last name-took the
initiative. He had IN elaborate sign
painted and stood it at the curb in front
of his shop. The inscription was-"The
Oldest and cheapest repair shop on the
avenue
B.. Blum followed with a larger and
gaudier announcement in front of his
place. Then S. Blum had an enormous
sign made, announcing his shop as THE
Boston Shoe Store, and declaring that
he did the best and cheapest work in the
city. The three signs, all within a dis
lance of one undred feet, attracted con-
siderable attention. All went well for two
days, when some one mutilated B. Blum's
sign. He thought it was the work of one
of his rivals and determined on revenge.
He took in his mutilated sign and com
planned to Captain McKaig that Eddie
and his brother were violating the law
by standing their signs without the side
walk line. Patrolman Herring notified the
two cobblers that they must comply with
the law. They said they would as soon
as he made every storekeeper on Month
cello avenue do likewise.
The result was that all the merchants
on Monticello avenue, who have for years
been in the habit of displaying their
wares on the sidewalk, were compelled to
take them in and keep them in. This
was a feature of the cut rate war that
the ~neighboring merchants did not appre-
ciate as much as they did previous and
subsequent developments. After the cpl
sode of the signs the Blums, who did
not seem to be visibly affecting the BUSH
ness of their rival, adopted the Baxter
street method, andt whenever they saw a
child steering for Eddie's with a bundle
they made for him and endeavored to
pull him into their places instead. This
grew tiresome, SO they cut the price
again. Eddie followed suit, and for sew
eral days a uniform price of As cents for
mems shoes and proportionate prices for
women's and children's shoes prevailed.
On Friday last S. Blum, in sheer despera-
ton, placed the following announcement
in his window
Shoemakers' Strike!
Men Soles, 40c.
Ladies and Boys, SOC.