The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-07-25
EXCLUSIVE TRADE MILE
WHAT MOST DISTINGUISHES NEW
YORK FROM OTHER CITIES.

seen Buy Their Goods -- Stockings 60
$3.50 % Pair nnd 1iarns from $4,000
tp-Cnn Get Rich on One Order u Weok.
The thing that most distinguishes
New York from other cities Is found in
Fifth avenue, between Twenty-sXh
and Forty-second streets Here. for
nearly a mile. stretch block after
block of little stores. Many of them
are no larger than the shops OF Hes
ter street The majority are smaller
than the average retail stores on Third
avenue The narrow, low buildings
frequently contain several establish
ments, one to each floor And yet the
men who do business here pay enor-
nous rents, for they occupy part of
the most valuable ground IN the world.
There are. OF course. IN other cities
small stores in localities of great
wealth, but here is a whole mile of
them, in two almost unbrollen rows.
These stores are the most pronounced
evidence of New Yorks enormous
wealth. for nowhere else could they
have survived, in face of the great de
parJment stores and large houses in
the more active centers Of trade.
These small stores could not COM
pete with the larger ones. but they ex-
list, because in New York so large a
proportion of the people do not need to
consider the cost of things. A small,
exclusive place appeals to them be-
cause it is small and exclusive. They
value their wealth principally because
1t permits them to pursue their whims,
and they are willing enough to pay the
price sufficient to maintain a compare
lively private emporium.
There is very little about these
stores that is in touch with the mod
ern life Of trade There are no cash
registers, no cash-boys and girls, and
in most of the places no cashiers or
bookkeepers, and one might be tempt
ed also to think that there were no
customers. For an hour at a time in
more than one of these places yester-
day, no one entered. One can pass the
entire day lettering here, and scarce
ly see a sale made And yesterday
was an ideal day for shopping. The
avenue outside was thronged with a
wealthy, leisurely multitude Few,
however, of the passing carriages and
automobiles stopped OF the people
passing from window to window, idly
inspecting the displays. not one in a
hundred went inside Under such cir
cumstances, the merchant on Third
avenue would go bankrupt. In most
Of these places, however, a single pur-
chase is often enough to provide a fine
profit for a week.
One Of these stores sells nothing but
hosiery. The average price of stock
ings here is $40 a pair, but any one
who wishes can pay $3.50. Most OF
these stockings are made to order, af-
ter special designs. Elegance just now
is represented by black Isle, with
white embroidery or insertions of real
lace Some of these stockings are SO
fine that they can be wadded into a
thimble. An unusually attractive de-
sign was conceived not long ago by a
manufacturer in Philadelphia, The
leg was Of black Isle, and might have
been woven by spider The lower
half was an open web, over which was
worked a delicate vine, also in black.
This was hand-embroidery 1t was
beautifully done, and produced q most
striking result. But there are now no
more of these stockings to be had The
girl who was employed in the task is
in the hospital, and this Philadelphia
manufacturer is so peculiar in his ma
ture that he has refused to put another
to the ordeal
The trade in stockings made to or
der seems to be an unusually good
one. A customer who came in yes
terday to inquire for q SIS pair intend
ed as a present, was told that he must
wait for few days, as the factory
where they were being made was $780,
600 behind in its orders.
A little further up the avenue was a
iewelry store into which no one might
look. Close against the glass of the
windows was carved oaken panel
rising some three feet There was
nothing but a word, in small gilt let
I tiers, on the door to indicate that there
jewels might be had Inside. the glass
cases were filled with brilliant gems
The Office was in the rear, and con
sisted Of a little roll top desk behind
a rail, where a pleasant-faced, gray.
haired old gentleman was leisurely
writing letter with a quill pen.
why do you have no window dis.
play?" he was asked.
He looked up with quiet twinkle
in his eye as he said: Because we dc