The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1907-10-12
MILLION DOLLAR
AFRO -AMERicAN CORPORATION
STOCK PAYING SEVEN PER
z CENT FOR YEARS.

AFRO -AMERICAN CORPORATION
STOCK PAYING SEVEN PER
h CENT FOR YEARS.
Rev. T. L. Griffith Visits Metropolitan
Mercantile & Realty Co.'s Baltimore
Department Store Concern Has
Built Scores Of Homes-owns Big
Savings Bank.
For the past three months the peo-
pie of the West have heard much con-
corning the Metropolitan Mercantile
& Realty Company, and some perhaps
more venturesome than others, have
placed their confidence and dollars in
this Afro-American enterprise, which
has done so much and bids fair to do,
even greater things in the. future. 1t
is safe to say, however, that the ma
j6rity of people VINO have given the
matter any serious consideration,
though impressed, have not a clear
understanding as to what this institu-
ton really is, many confusing it with
Insurance Companies, Building Loans
and some mistaking it for a benefit
society
The Metropolitan Mercantile &
Realty Company is an Afro-American
corporation founded about eight years
ago in the city. of New York, combin-
ing the real estate, mercantile, bank
ing and beneficial business. It was
Incorporated for the purpose of pro-
viding way for the Afro American to
dn11or oc
is capitalized at 100000 and has
branch Offices in score Of states in
the East, West, North and South. The
company has built nearly one hundred
homes for it's. stockholders besides a
hospital in Philadelphia, a Masonic
Temple in Savannah, Ga, and an
apartment house in East Orange, N.
j.; owns and operates department
store in Baltimore, Md, and -four
ishing grocery business in the city of
Plainfield, N. j., savings bank in
Savannah, Ca, and has a Beneficial
Department attached, operating in six
states which has membership of
100000. In a few weeks the Company
will open in the city of New York the
largest department store in the coun-
try: owned and operated by Afro-Amer-
leans, having $1,000; square feet of
flooring, and will give employment to
nearly three hundred persons.
A few weeks ago Mr.. L. H. Smith,
the Company's chief representative in
this section, who has become a resi-
dent of Des Moines, arranged a series
of stereopticon exhibits and lectures
which was of an. educational. character
and enlightened the people as to the
achievements and holdings of the
Company. This was source Of much
interest and enjoyment to the many
who attended the lectures. The Rev.
T. L. Griffith, pastor of the Corrinth-
ian Baptist church, Des Moines, Ia,
while on a trip East, made a personal
investigation of the Company in the
interest of his people and paid a visit
to The Metropolitan's Department
Store in Baltimore, Md. What he saw
and his impressions are best told in
his own words:
While on my trip to the East, at
tending the: National Baptist Conven-
ton and the Jamestown Exposition. I
stopped at Baltimore for the express
purpose of viewing the department
store of the Metropolitan Mercantile
& Realty Company, and I may freely
say that l was pleased and satisfied
with what Isaw. The store is located
On EutaW Place near Druid Hill Ave-
nue., where scores of our people are
securing valuable property. 1t has a
most convenient location for this rea-
son.
'sThe building itself has a basement
and three other stories. On the base
ment floor they have their groceries,
and there was every evidence Of. a.
large patronage. On the main floor
they have soda fountain, notions,
mems furnishings, shoes and office of
the store. The second floor is given
to ladies' clothing and millinery The
third floor has the office of the COM
pany and a. large store room They
keep two wagons going, and on Satur-
days they use two extra wagons.
The manager of the store, Mr.
Diggs, informed me that they have
twenty-nine clerks, that the major part
OF their patronage is from Afro-Ameri-
can people, but they also have a good
deal of trade from white people. I
talked with a number of leading men
in Baltimore, all of whom spoke in
complimentary terms Of the volume of
business which is being done On the
whole the business impressed me as
commendable. 1t was inspiring to see
store manned by our people and to
learn it is meeting with success
Such is the testimony of an eye wit
ness to one of the several enterprises
OF this great corporation.
The Company has always had ia,
vorable concentrations from the press
both daily and also the standard
weekly reviews, which on numerous
occasions have made favorable and
complimentary reference to the prac-
teal as well as to the theoretical good
being done by this institution. The
following account of the annual stock
holders meeting august r. 1909,
which appeared in the September 18th
issue of the Commercial and Financial
World of New York is typical of the
press views:
1T would scarcely be possible 10 at
tach too much Importance to the facts
and figures that were brought out in
the annual report Of the Metropolitan
Well-known AfrO-American organiza-
tion of this city, whose annual meet
ing was held a few days ago. This
company, it will be remembered by
the readers of this paper, began bust
ness about eight years ago, and has
been remarkably successful from the
first. 1t is incorporated under the
laws of New Jersey and has a, capital
stock of $1,600,0O0, and the fact was,
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