Richmond planet., 1907-06-08
STORY OF \ NEGRO sHoE-sToRE.

One day, walking in Broad Street,
l passed a Negro shoe-store. I did
not know that there was such a thing
in the country. l went in to make In
quiries. IL was neat, well kept and
evidently prosperous. 1 found that
a was owned by stock company, or
ganized and controlled wholly by
Negroes; the manager was a brisk
young mulatto named Harper, a grad
uate OF Atlanta University. / found
him debating to a Negro girl steno-I
grapher.
There were two reasons, he said,
why the store had been opened; one
was because the promoters thought il
good business opportunity and the
other was because many Negroes OF
the better class felt that they did
not get fair treatment at white stores
Al some places-not all, ne said
when a Negro woman went 20 buy
a pair OF shoes. the clerk would hand
them TO her without Offering Co help
her try them on; and n Negro was
always kept waiting until all the
white people in the store had been
served.
Since the new business was opened
ne said. it had attracted much OF
the Negro trade: all the leaders ad-
vising their people TO patronize him..
/ was much interested TO find out
how this young man looked upon the
race question. His first answer
struck me forcibly, for it was the
universal and typical answer of the
business man the world over, wheth-
er white, yellow or black:
"An ] want" he said, "is to be
protected and let alone. SO that l can
build up this business"
What do you mean by protec-
tion?" j asked.
"Well. justice between the races.
That doesn't mean social equality.
We have a society of our own, and
that is all we want. If we can have
justice in the courts, and fair pro-
lection. we can learn to compete
with the white stores and get along
all right"
Such an enterprise as this indicates
the new. economic separation be-
tween the races.
Here is business" says the Negro
which ! am going to do"
Considering the fact that only a
few years ago, the Negro did no bus
mess at all, and had no professional
men, IL is really surprising TO a
Northerner to see what progress ne
has made. One of the first lines he
took up was-not unnaturally-the
undertaking business. Some of the
most prosperous Negroes in every
Southern city are undertakers, doing
work exclusively, of course, for col
ored people. other early enterprises
growing naturally out of a history
of personal service, were barbering
and tailoring. Atlanta has many
small Negro tailor and clothes-elean,
ing shops.
WEALTHIEST NEGRO IN ATLANTA
The wealthiest Negro in Atlanta,
A. f. Herndon, operates the largest
barber shop in the city; he is the
President Of a Negro insurance COM
pany (of which there are four in tho
city) and he owns and rents some
fifty dwelling houses. He is said TO
be worth $50, 200, all made. Of course
since slavery.
Another occupation developing
naturally from the industrial train
ing OF slavery was the business of
the building contractor. Several
such Negroes, notably Alexander
Hamilton, do q considerable business
in Atlanta, and have made money
They are employed by white men,
and they hire for their jobs botn
white and Negro workmen.
Small groceries and other stores
are of later appearance; I saw at
least a score of them in various parts
of Atlanta. For the most part they
are very small. many are exceeding
ly dirty and ill-kept; usually much
poorer than corresponding places
kept by foreigners, unfortunately
called 'Dagoes" down here, who are
in reality mostly Russian Jews and
Greeks. But there are a few Negro
grocery stores in Atlanta which are
highly creditable. Other busines
enterprises include restaurants (for
Negroes), printing establishments,
two newspapers and several drue
stores. In other words, the Negro
is rapidly building up HIS own bus
incss enterprises, tending TO make
himself independent as a race.
The appearance OF Negro drug
stores was the natural result OF the
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