The Newtown bee., 1902-03-28
MOVING DAY FOR MEIGS & co.

BRIDGEPORT 5 FIN EST SIORE.-RlSE
AND GROWTH OF A GREAT CLOTHING
BUSINESS.
Everybody who reads the newspapers |
n this part of the world is familiar |
With the wish of Bridgeport's best |
Known store, "When we move we want
% move in a wbeelbarrrow," which has |
been heralded far and wide by Meigs |
Z Co., in the announcements of their |
great removal SALE Not that this |
wish is to be realized, though low
prices did valiant service in clearing
out stocks. Certain it is, that had the
old stock been available little longer,
! good-sized wheelbarrow would have
been sufficient to transfer the goods
and chattels of the firm from the old \
to the new store.
Those same everYbOdieS who have
visited the shopping center of Bridge
port during the last few months have
seen beautiful; modern, tive-StOry
grow, week by week, on the
northwest corner of Main street and
Fairfield avenue, where for years the
drug store had held its ground.
To-day the new Meigs building is
about ready for its owners, and Friday
will see the transfer of the firm 5 bust
ness from the corner of Main and Bank
streets, where in 1888 Meigs s. Co., first
made their bow to the people of Bridge
port and vicinity. That was IA years
ago, Ia years in which fair dealing in
the selling of good things for men and
boys to wear, has br ought its reward in
a great business built on sure found:
alton.
Meigs s. Co., have been expansionists>
since the beginning. In 1885 cloth
ing store was opened at 1O7-109 Church
street, New Haven, and Meigs & Co.,
launched their business with F. d.
MeigS at the helm, a Connecticut
Yankee who had already laid hold on
success in clothing store he had start
ed in Dexter, Maine.
Mr. Meigs had taken some COnnecti-
cut ideas with him to Maine, and the
putting them into practice brings to
mind good story of his early days in
business. He advertised extensively
for those days when barns and fences
mediums than they are in these days
of good and cheap newspapers. Two
of the legends with which the fences
round about Dexter were Ornamented
were as follows: "Who is F. d.
Meigs?" and "Where is F. D. Meigs:"
These inSiStent questions so worked
upon the mind of some dOwn-eaSt Wag
that he procured paint-pot and brush
and proceeded to answer the questions
in his own way. Beneath the query,
"Who is F. D. Meigs?' he painted,
'Some darned fool in Dexter" and to
the second, "Where is f. d: Meigs?"
"Down in Bangor Jail" Needless tc
say, these to signs created more talk
than the ninety and nine signs un
touched by the wag, and F. d. Meigs
became celebrity in those parts.
The New Haven storesgrew andprOS
pered, the entire building soon beinl
| required for its uses. Indeed, so wei
did the policy and methods of this
popular firm please the peO-
pie of New Haven, that Alexander
like, they began to look about for 9th
er worlds to conquer. Bridgeport wa!
chosen for a second venture. The
store in the Sturdevant building, a
Main and Bank streets, where M
Barker had sold clothing for man,
years was secured, Mr. Barker's STOCK
and lease being bought outright. Two
years later, following out the sam'
policy of expansion Meigs & Co. bough
out the clothing business of D. H
Brigham & Co. of Springfield and es
tabliShed their third store.
Since that time the firm has devOt
ed every effort to the expansion of the
business in its three stores, with thu
pleasing result seen to-day in its flint
Springfield store at Main street anC
Harrison avenue located in it's owl
block, in it's great store known as New
Ravens largest, lightest and hand
soonest store, and now in the splendid
building in which it's Bridgeport bust
ness finds home, this week.
| Realizing months ago that NOR
room was necessary for its Bridgeport
store the firm cast about for suita'
BILE location on which to erect build
ing which should be at once perma
nent and fitting home and an Orna
ment to the architecture of the city
The Wales property, fronting los feet
on both Main street and Fairfield
avenue was secured, and on the cOrne
portion of this property has been erect
ed an imposing structure of brick, ter,
"a Gotta and steel, with So feet front
age on Main street and los feet on Fair
field avenue, and an extension of 5Ox2(
feet. The new building is in the very
heart of BridgepOrt'S retail district
only two blocks from the railway sta
tion and is reached by all trolley cars
| The basement and ground are devOt
ed whollyssto the firms business, occupy
ing 13, $50 square feet of floor space
In the basement are located the boile
room, cOmmOdiOuS stock room, quar-
tiers for tailors, and salesWom TO-
trunks and bags in which large bus
mess is done, and for OverallS, sweat
ers, mackintoshes and such. On the
ground floor is the main store, the
main entrance to which is directly or
the corner through a rOOmy and hand
somely tiled vestibule. An entrance
| ~, EnsN Eo1I ic nj
through another tiled vCStibule lead
ing to the elevator and stairways tx
the floors above which DIRE to be devOt
ed to offices.
The interior of the new store is beau
tifully trimmed in antique oak of tn,
finest cabinet finish To the right o
the entrance one finds the hat depart
ment where all good sorts of head gea
for men and boys and children are tt
be found. Farther around to the right
and adjoining the hat department il
located the shoe department., a new de-
partment, by the way, in the Bridge
port store, though the other store.
have sold shoes. Here one finds the
Zenith shoe'' in the glory of spring
newneSS, shoe which is controlled
exclusively by Meigs & Co., and which
is claimed to be the best in the worlc
at a popular price. The celebrated
johnson & Murphy shoes known ir
the trade as the highest grade shoes
for men in this country are also founC
here, as we'll as other less costly shoes
for men and boys.
Next the shoe department are the
dressing rooms, and the bundle cOun
ter, booth handsomely decorated in
antique oak. over which is an artistic
gallery where is the managers office
and the bookkeeper's and cashier (
quarters. just around the corner il
the bright day-lighted boys and chill
dren's department., in roomy extern
sion having 1000 square fleet of f1ool