The evening times., 1898-10-13
A MODEL OF ENTERPRISE
Hahn & Co. Contribute to an
Avenues Glory.
OPENING A NEW EMPORIUM
Shoe Merchants of High Regard
Among WashfnEton's Citizens
Branch Out and Display an Orna-
ment Among the Business Houses
of the National Capital.

| opsHihS lhdl VIII take place tonlBht at
s o'clock of William Hahn & Co.'S man.
moth new retail shoe emporium at Sew
enth and * Streets northwest.
AT considerable cost the firm has re-
modelled its old store and added to 1t the
/ corner building, which has also been re-
/ constructed so as to conform TO the
other stores, making the entire structure
new, up-to-date shoe store This work
! has just been completed and now Hahn
| & Co. have not only one of the hand
soonest retail stores in Washington but
/ probably the largest retail shoe store in
the South.
The enlargement of the store was made
! necessary by the largely increasing busi-
ness of the firm, which some time ago
found itself hampered in the way of props
erly displaying goods and in accommodate
ing comfortably the daily rush of patrons
The new building fronts 60 feet on Sew
enth Street and 20 feet on X Street The
entire front on both streets is utilized by
show windows, with the exception of a
double door entrance on Seventh Street
and two entrances on X Street The build
| ing is of pressed brick with copper trim
mings 1t is four stories In height with
tower at the corner that rises many feet
| above the main height of the building
! In the tower will be placed a mammoth
| clock, having four dials, thus affording
| shoppers at a considerable distance in
| any direction the opportunity TO tell the
| time of day. At night the clock will be
Illuminated, as will the firm name imme-
1 diately under the dials.
The main salesrooms are on the street
| floor and are divided into three separate
departments. The corner department is
/ where men can be accommodated with
! footwear of any description from dress
! shoes to heavy service boots. Adjoining
| is the department for children's goods
| and next 10 ii Is the store devoted eXclu-
sively 10 women. In these two depart
ments are displayed all the latest nov
elites in feminine footwear The other
! floors are utilized for storing surplus
! stock and for repairing purposes.
The cashiers desk and wrapping coun-
/ ter is situated in the front part of the
! store and forms part of a balcony that
/ extends around the lower floor All the
/ finishings are In hard oak and the gal
/ lery is ornamented with metal railing.
! The firms private office is above the
| cashiers Office and a little to the north.
! 1t is reached by an iron staircase. The
! furniture in all three departments is
modern, including handsome settees,
chairs and stools of Hght-colored wood
to conform with the finishings. The
floors are highly polished and covered
| with handsome rugs.
William Hahn & Co. have branch
stores at 1914 and 1916 Pennsylvania Ave
/ nue. northwest, and at 233 Pennsylvania
| Avenue southeast. Mr. William Hahn is
| the senior member of the firm and has
| charge of the main store at Seventh and
! x Streets. His brother, Morris Hahn,
manages the West End store, while an
| other brother S. Fred Hahn, is in charge
of the East End establishment. All
| goods are purchased In bulk for all three
stores, and delivered at the main store
| and from there distributed to the branch
stores. Thus patrons get the same goods
no matter at which store they deal
Mr.. William Hahn. the senior member
| of the firm, began business in 1876 in a
| little shop Y by 20 feet, on Pennsylvania
Avenue between Nineteenth and Twen-
! tieth Streets He was successful from the
start, due to the well-known fact that
! he sold a reliable shoe at a popular price.
! Within TWO years his business had grown
so that il became absolutely necessary
for him 10 secure more room, which he
| did Increased business followed, and
/ within another two years Mr.. Hahn, re-
alizing that he had TO enlarge again, de-
c!ded to open on Seventh Street. He
rented a large store at NO Sl6 and at
! once secured a large trade That was in
1850. Five years afterward he opened
/ the branch store at 233 Pennsylvania
! Avenue southeast. This venture also
proved successful. In the meantime busi-
! ness at the old West End store had pros
pered so that Ii was determined to erect
! new building. This was done, and at
! the same time the property on Pennsyl-
vania Avenue, Southeast Washington
! was acquired and a new building erected.
/ In 1890 the Seventh Street business had
! so increased that additional space was
eequired, and MIR. Hahn purchased the
/ stores at $50 and 932 Seventh Street This
/ he thought would prove ample accommo-
! dation for his business for the next TWEEN
! ~ years: but not so, because, though
! half the allowed time has not passed
| additional room was needed. The de-
mand resulted in the purchase of the ad-
joining building. corner of X Street, and
the erection of the handsome and COM
modious structure described already
The firm has now the mammoth new
emporium Nos. 930 932 and s34 Seventh
Street, corner of K Street: branch store
at 1914 and 1916 Pennsylvania Avenue
northwest and branch store at 233 Penn
sylvania Avenue southeast. The senior
member of the firm is Mr. William Hahn
The other members are his brothers
Messrs. Morris and S. Fred Hahn, each
in charge of branch store.