The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-18
QUEER SHOPS
OF PALAMA
Where Things Are
Sold Over
Again.
Second and Stores Have
Been Opened
There.
Anything From an Oil Painting
of a King To a Top
On Sale.

King street, Palama, is fast becom-
ing the Baxter street of Honolulu Il
is being filled on each side of the street
with Chinese establishments which can
sell one anything from a painting OF
King Kalakaua to a top or a second
| hand set of dominoes or dice with
These shops have sprung up within the
| past four or five years and many of
them now do a thriving business.
Dickens "Old Curiosity Shop would
not be in it with these latter day ven
lures of the Chinese. The second hand
dealers buy their wares for little or
| nothing, sell for next to nothing, and
yet make something of a profit and in
many cases considerable profit.
The ways of the owners of one Of
these stores are peculiar. They start
business with very small capital and
but few goods and every bit of money
realized from sales is Immediately re-
invested in second hand goods. In
two or three years they have but little
actual money but have a supply Of
goods which can be turned over as OPP
portunity offers at pretty large figures.
One of the largest of these establish
ments is at the junction of Hotel and
King streets, Palama, and the collec-
ton of articles in that store is a mar
velous one. If one were to identify
each article to be found there he would
have to be familiar with all of the
manufactures of every country of the
world. for during the past fifty years
articles have reached
Hawaii from about every country worth
mentioning and in time the smaller ar
ticles find their way into these stores.
TOYS FOR THE MULTITUDE.
A casual glance over the toy de- !
partment of this Bon Marche showed a :
glittering array of old fashioned ar |
ticles. There were American iron toys
which were familiar to the children of /
a generation ago. There were Ger
man toys which must have made the !
round-the-Horn voyage at least twenty
years ago. A small Swiss doll house
was tagged at a dollar and a half.
A portrait of Pope Leo could be
bought for less, while the Japanese
Emperor and three dashing cavalry
men, all in one framed picture and
lone up in gaudy photographic coloIs.
he toll the modest
sum of twenty cents. All sorts of old
.ools for mechanics and articles of +,
hardware could be had at about the
price of old iron. Many of the Oriental
mechanics in Honolulu secure their
ools from these stores. Most any sort
If article of dress could be purchased
or a song. japanese kimonos, Ameri-
AN dinner coats, Japanese wooden
shoes, German shawls, and Chinese
inery could be found in the same pile. [
4 soiled Kona hat bore a ribbon on
which the name "U. S. S. Iroquois"
appeared in gilt letters. Small boxes
Contained thousands of old buttons, and
discarded hair and hat pins figured
arsely in others. A patched mosquito
letting had been neatly washed and
tored away waiting for a buyer. Old
shnets, pictures of battles of the Civil
Var, Autographs of THE Old Home
tead' and g. Saucy Chorus Maid"
complete outfit for an infant, old
ags of all nations, cases of matches
lightly damaged by water, fish nets,
nd Chinese flags made up a galaxy of
rticIes which did not seem to chime
4 well together. The mounted head
nd horns of a Molokai deer, on neat
Goa wood mount, could be purchased
V any one for SO. A picture of King
dward could be had at your own price.
t would be safe to say that the place
obtained five thousand different arti-
les and it is doubtful if an inventory
yer has been or ever will be made of
his array of stuff from all corners of
he globe.
MONARCHS ON CANVAS.
In a small second hand store on Ho-
Il street the upper portion of the store
alls is covered with old oil paintings
altering studies of the kings, queens,
abinet ministers and Knights of the
rider of Oceania, of the days of grass
uts and whalers in Hawaii. The art
t who made these pictures was feast
by the royalty of ths country. He
ave stupendous exhibitions here in
ealthy homes and received large sums
money for his work. yet somehow
: other the descendants of the people
long ago, could see but little art in
le pictures the gilt frames which held
lem now hold modern pictures and
,e canvases themselves are on sale
vely cheep'' at a secondhand store.
1METIMES THERE ARE PRIZES.
But occasionally articles of consider
Die value can be secured in these
irSicrifcanf rricaS Old