The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-28


auctioneers'.
Day in and day out the following fig
ures approximately sum up the Old
clothes business in the best old clothes
town, purveyer to all the rest:
Number of retail stores ...--. 1,UOC
Money invested in retail stores. 50, o00, O1@
Employees Observation-Disclosures. o'uVv
Local old clothes men ........ zoo
Bushelers TO old clothes men e. 200
Out-of-town buyers ........... 5UV
Auction stores ................. o.
Money invested in auction
stores Souu,uOV
Employees .................... $50
Total men in old clothes trade. 1850
These figures do not include the
clothing carried away to New York by
the itinerants, who, in spring time and
fall, buy from door to door. Their
purchases undoubtedly run into the
thousands.
The dealer who furnished the stati5-
tics Is one of the two or three gentiles
remaining in the old clothes trade,
which. fifteen years ago, was largely
controlled by the Irish
A Profitable Business.
There's pretty good money in the
business for all concerned. despite the
large number engaged in it." he said.
The door TO door man makes any,
where from 20 to 200 per cent. when he
disposes of his collections TO an auc-
tioneer. You see, he generally keeps
his stuff in the room he sleeps in
and often sleeps on it-until he gets
several hundred dollars worth togeth
er. The auction people in turn make
from 10 TO Is per cent, and the retailer
never loses, % matter at what price
he sells. He'll start in to sell Tou
suit for So. He finally let's you have
it for s2.75. 1t cost him 81 at the auc-
tioneer's.
But the old clothes man who really
makes the money-the 200 per cent.
profits he whose speciality is buying
UP dead mems wardrobes. l know of
such man. He is Independently rich.
He has retired, but his son is building
up another fortune by following in his
tramps the streets, watcheS for signs
of mourning at the doors. The white
streamers do EsOt attract him, for there
is no money in handling children's
clothing. But let the evidences of
mourning be black and ne wastes no
time ringing the bell. I see that the
man of the house is dead, he says.
Sorry to hear of it, he says. Now
that he's gone, perhaps you'll want to
dispose of his Clothes he says. And
generally the widow, in her grief wish
ing to get rid of everything that will
keep reminding her of her loss, tells a
servant to sell her late husbands fin
cry; and even a third rate
clothes man can skin the best of serv-
ants any day. Results: An outfit that
cost 5000 or 5000 will be secured by the
for-the-occasion clothes man
for almost nothing.
Money in Dead Mems Garments.
These dead mems clothes are the
ones that bring in the retailer the
most profit also" continued the dealer.
He sells 'em to many of the bowling
swells' who seem the glass of fashion
and the mold of form as they walk UP
and down the fashionable streets dur
ing promenade hours. These fellows
are often poor in pocketbook and proud
on garb. But they're ingenious. They've
learned that they can get a decent
looking custom made suit at a second
hand store for about one third the or
iginal cost, so they are never absent
among our customers. And we don't
hesitate to ask a good price, because
Ike know these fellows won't wear
'hand-me-downs,' and they'll have to
buy of US, for the very simple rea-
son that they've exhausted their credit
at all the tailor shops in town.
And did you ever stop to think why
it is said the working man who earns
less than $40 a week can support a
family and still look neatly clothed?
It's because he buys his suits of US
sometimes as many as twenty-five or
thirty year. He can get a good
looking and well-repaired suit for 81
or 50. He buys it on Saturday night
feels dressed up when he goes to his
church, or club, or a park on Sunday
wears 1t to work during the week, and
when Saturday comes around again
throws it away, because it won't hold
together any longer. But he's had
his ~ worth of wear out of it, so he
comes in again Saturday night
and takes another suit at 81 per. Pres
to! He's dressed up fit to kill once
more!"
Old Gowns Not SaIabIe.
The dealer laughed heartily. "Wom-
ems clothes? No, thank you. We're
wise, A long while ago we got on to
the fact that womens old raiment
won't sell worth cent. 1t was. WHY.
the price is outrageous; I can buy the
same material new for 10 cents a yard;
or, Look at them sleeves; they're two
years out Of style or, They don't
wear Dolly Vardens any more, and I
wouldn't be caught dead in that hor-
rid thing. Women want yle even in sec
ond-hand stuff; they'd go naked before
they'd buy old stuff, and so we drop
ped dresses and such things long ago.
Some few dealers, though, still handle
dresses, but their number is smaller
every year.
Fact is, there's no market for any,
thing now except mems clothing and
old shoes. OF late years we've quit
buying old hats because there's a To-
cal law that requires US to put new
sweat-bands in them, and a new band
eats up all possible profit There's stin
some little money in shoes for the man
who is willing to spend his time patch
ing EN- with paper and glue, and then
retailing EN-.
Tricks? oh, yes. we've a few tricks.
but so has Mr. j. Pierpont Morgan.
This is a tricky world. YOU know. and