Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-13
FIRST IN THE FIELD
A. Lisner Busy Pioneer in
Sleepy G Street"
LEFT AVENUE BACK IN 1895
Reasons Actuating Removal Did Not
Appeal to the Merchants Friends.
He stood Almost Alone in Ills De-
trrmiuntIon-Nh This Thorough
fare Invites n stream of Trade.

The metamorphosis Of G. street into
a thriving business thorouShfare may
be chiefly credited 10 y. i.isneE. pro-
prictor of the Palais Royal In his
View the present development OF THIS
street and the indications Of still more
rautI growth in the future make it
seem quite logical that 6 street must
b.. geographically and rightfully. one
@ !a-.. g.. ....-e from lie new
union station To the uptown district.
as il is already the shortcut between
the great government buildings.
Very different was the opinion when
Mr.. Iisner determined. about fifteen
years ago. to change his place of bust
ness from Pennsylvania avenue to the
present site, Formerly Mr.. Lisner
occupied the entire building once used
by the pension office, now the site of the
Raleigh Hotel His best friends told
Mr. Lisner In 1893 that 1t was suicide
to forsake the historic Pennsylvania
avenue for sleepy G street Some of
them went so far as to suggest in
half Indignant manner that he might
as well move out TO the suburbs and
start department store whore there
was plenty of room.
Had Courage to Go Ahead.
But Mr. Lisner had the courage to
support his theories with deeds. and
the Palais Royal. at the northeast cor
ner of G and 18th streets, was the out
come The land and the building cost
within fraction of half a million dol
lars G street came to life as busl-
ness thoroushfare with the opening OF
the Palais Royal October /. 1893
1t soon became apparent that the
vast number Of residents in the north
west section OF the District favored
the change in the location. and the
new Palais Royal was a demonstrated
success from the beginning. Women
engaged in the government Offices also
found this 6 street establishment the
most convenient for them. Sleepy G
street was fully awakened. never to
sleep again. To-Day the Palais Royal
corner is one Of the busiest in town.
So great is tile traffic at the inter
section of llth and G streets that a
special police officer is permanently
: stationed to control the street traffic
/ and So" TO thu safety OF pedestrians.
/: II is when the great offices Of the gov
, eminent set free their army of at
: tac.rs tuat g street swarms with hu-
manly II is then the popularity Of
tie Palais Royal is made conspicuously
evident That the entrances of both
llth and G streets are amply large is
, true but it is generally well known
that the building itself las grown con-
sid,rably too small for its vast patron
age.
Invites Enormous Trade
Those conversaut with department
stores credit the Palais Royal with the
: largest business in proportion to its
siza-a business greater than IN many
; larger establishments of bigger cities
som. idea Of its volume is CLEANED
from The Investigation OF the Herald
. reporter, VINO learned that the sales of
/ woncns waists in one day amounted
s 10 81 so, sold only from a compare
, lively small table, occupying a space
measuring but q by 10 feet When it
. is considered that the Palais Royal
. building is $40 by 100 feet, and that
every inch of its five floors is utilized
) some idea is realized of the vast bust
ness concentrated there.
4 Mr.. LIsneT's success did not begin
: and end with the selection of loca-
4 ton that has developed so marvelously
: One little straW-those waists-proVes
. II. We men who have mothers, wives
2 and sisters know that the home talk Of
! late has been nothing but waists, We
> hav- all heard. until we are tired. that
the Palais Royal is having a wonder
4 full sale, and that dreams of waists
g are to b. had for a song. If it is not
4 waists il Is this garment or that which
;: IS bargain, so that the Palais Royal
. becomes a household word. Women
know, and IL their verdict is that this
+ G street establishment is the best and
> most economical shopping place. one
e can be very certain that it is really so
= II can be taken for granted that G
J: street is the right location, and the
: Palais Royal TIE right store.
:: The growth OF G street since the ad-
: vent Of the Lisner building is perhaps
the most marked in the obliteration of
{ St Patricks Orphan Asylum. on the
4 site of which now fiourishes the Dos
I: ton House" Ii would only need the
z erection of another great department
:: store on the northwest corner TO make
!. street a shopping center unequaled
? in many much greater cities.
L. -, 49, 49,. sSa.s, sa-s, 80