The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-03
10000 FEET
AT THE BIG STORE
ANOTHER FLOOR AT THE TOP OF
OLSON'S MAGNIFICENT
HOUSE
TIE Necessities of Business Have
Crowded Out All WOrkroOms and
Surplus Stock Space-AbOut One
Fifth. Added to the SalesrOOm
Space-Winter Improvement at
Great Emporium.

B.
The New Years Incident at Olson's Big
Store is the addition of $4,000 square feet
Of floor space to the establishment. There
are few stores in Minneapolis that have a
total of floor space so great as that which
was added during the few weeks of the
holiday season. 1t is almost impossible to
comprehend how great an area the business
of the Big Store really occupies. II the whole
square from Nieollet to First avenue south
and from Fourth to Fifth street were one
great smooth floor it would not cover the
area which is now embraced In the Big
Store floors. The grand total is about 140 600
square feet.
Five years ago, when the. Big Store was
opened, the wiseacres said this was more
than the town would support under. one
roof, They said the business would not
the street floor and the second floor. The
third floor was reserved for surplus stock,
workrooms, etc. $3.50. ,...-,....
Within the last year or two the surplus
stockroom had to be fitted with a double
deck, and goods were crowded into space
so small that at times 1t was impossible to
handle them economically. Werkrooms were
built up under the false mansard roof and
every available nook and corner given
over to some department of the great store ,
many industries.
few weeks before Christmas there was
erected on First avenue south, near the mid
die of the block occupied Jointly by Olson's
q
scaffolding, which looked not unlike light
house in midocean. On the top, which was
the rear of the Century building and also
the Big Store lot Of men were kept busy
at work. The public generally supposed there
was some Improvement going on in the Cen
fury building. All the while General Olson
was busy planning for the biggest Christmas
trade Minneapolis has ever Seen and moth
ing was said about what was going on aloft;
not, however. the Century building hut
ON the top of the Big Store.
1t may not be generally known, but the fact
Is that the architect in planning the foun-
dation and walls of the Big Store made them
heavy enough to support Il building eight
stories in height. What the workman were
dnlns was putting in one of these stories
This will be the fourth, occupying the space
which in the front is given over to- the false
mansard. s4t-s. -.
So far as the public is concerned this new
fourth floor of the Big Store has it's chief
interest in that it will be occupied by the
workrooms, surplus stockrooms ETC., which
are now crowding necessary salesrooms be-
neapolis public to find what they want in
practically every department of merchandis-
ing at Olson's with a little better advantage
than has ever been afforded.
l. will give to the salesroom of the Big
store about one-ffth more space than has ever
been available up to this time All the de-
partments will be relieved, more or less, and
| the public viii be the gamer in comfort and
convenience.
| The fourth floor will have, besides surplus
!. stockrooms, workrooms for the manufacture
| of wrappers and similar products. mer-
chant tailoring department. refitting
rooms mail order department, receiving and
shipping rooms, lecture room for the in
struetion Of the employees in their duties,
carpenter shop. studio, etc. The floor is
lighted by skylights. which open through the
roof along the sides. corresponding with the
street fronts, making this one of the finest
workrooms in the city.
-. In the store proper there will be compare
livery rev changes required by the additional
noor The elevators will go one story high
er and the stairway will be extended. This
practlcally covers the changes. The main
hght well VIII remain the same, a false wall
| being erected around the light we'll on the
upper floor. The alley walls, which are of
substantial brick construction from the foun-
| General Olsen declined to say what changes
were to be made beyond the fact of gen
eral Spreading out of the departments He
said he had some plans under consideration,
but he preferred to spring them as a sur
prise when he had them fully matured