The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-05-03
A RETROSPECT OF BROOKLYN
AND 4 LOON AHEAD BASED on
TIE LOON BACKWARD.
How the Merit OF Optimism Was Proved Is
Related by a veteran Merchant-Nlth
Better Transit the Borough VIII he
IAN City, 20 the city line. He says.

helAttu ny " NtAfENN Vlfi N1hnN- WIN
Better Transit the Borough viii Re
IAN City" 10 the city Line, He says.
yes. things certainly have changed
nnce | began my business career in Brook
lrn and they have changed for the better
m every way" said Abraham Abraham,
ssnior member Of the firm " Abraham A
Straus. yesterday. Nevertheless, remark
able as have been the changes in this Dor.
ough, rapidly Ms this section Of the greater
city has increased in population in recent
yoars, | am satisfied that the development
has only just begun and that the difference
IN the next ten years will be even more
startling than the events uf the past
1t seems almost impossible for me to
think that only a comparatively few years
ego there we're horse cars here, stages
running, steam cars with a charge Of
~ cents or more TO Coney Island and a
oueer little dummy road going down to
the country spots OF Fort Hamilton and
Rslh ~Beach-and nov there are electric
,-r, overhead, on the ground and under
cath the ground. How II would have
.lrused US, startled us in fact, II in 1855
some prophet had foretold hat there would
ro a day when we would have a beautiful
entrance 10 our stores under the ground
teduhful show windows under the side.
ocalk! But there have boen just as radical
changes In other directions since the civil
ar 10 this big borough Of ours.
II was about the close Of the var when
Nv father, a New York man, advised me
~ begin my business career in Brooklyn.
he always had great faith in the future
4 this borough. He induced me to enter
'hs firm Of Joseph Wechsler & Co., at 297
Fulton street, and | was the company. .
That was the beginning Of the present
ABRAHAM 4 Straus. We rented the entire
huilding, four stories high, 25X9O feet, but
lsed for our store only the main floor
subletting the others. 7 remember there
vas a photographer just above the store,
and over him was a dentist who subse-
1gently was shot while passing through
ritY Park near the navy yart, and his
murder created quite a stir.
AZ that time the leading dry goods house
rss Joumeay A ~Bumham's, on Atlantic
H'5AA5 l1dl HNhlN - FN't lH0 Dltlg1I
ard most important section Of Fulton
-'rest vas between Sands street and Myrtle
arsnue.
On the opposite corner was Brooklyn's
'sshlonabls furniture house, Brooks's,
Considered a very fine furniture store ar
Ne time Walter Lochwood's. a silk and
d-est goods store, was in the vicinity later
sr1 in the ST.. Ann's Building. erected bv
he DID church, vas Morgan 4 Cos dry
scods store, which did a very hi Oh class
f business. Opposite that vas Oyington's
he great china store, the same concern
r9U or Fifth avenue in Manhattan. Then
'hsre was Dickinson A Vests and a man
0lmsd Lewis ran a store, but vas 20 dis
zlsted when the Brooklyn Bridge opened
'ad was 50 sure that all the business would
hereafter be done in New York. that he
vent out Of business. remember we'll hoT
told hun that if he could not offer enough
Inducements TO keep the people Of Brooklyn
'rsding here he might better retire any
T4v. Another man named Jones had
mite a place.
And then came the blocks running from
Hilary street 10. Myrtle avenue that became
he crowded business centre Of Brooklyn,
20 crowded that Z well remember At times
.seing the people Walking half vay out
m the street. One of the comparatively
blg houses then va, LoesPr 4 pinselsplsl's,
'ov known as Frederick lOeser & Co
F-rtop Bros. in the same ncighboThood
vas the neat store in size and importance
m Iourneay 4 Burnham. and right neat
to Horizons came our little store.
II was a very little store for the neigh
..,rhood and with the bic fellows each
ida Of Us many we're the predictions that
our existence was only a matter OF A few
months. But that's another story. There
'rds a prominent leather house, Woods,
20 the same block. and a store run by
Buckley, who later moved to Connecticut.
One Of this latter firm became, believe,
Governor Of that State,
sMatthews's al that time was on Myrtle
Avenue. Balch, Price 4 Co.'S store was
rute far down. near Nassau street. ! think.
md Hart Bros. and Wise, both jewellers.
rere in the vicinity. How many OF the
names | have mentioned. 70 we'll known
10 us all az that time names OF stores that
rere family bywords at the close Of the
Nar-hsve entirely disappeared except from
be memory Of the elder merchants
We started at a very unfortunate period.
he war had sent prices Sky high. | re.
member muSlins we're g. 10 10 cents and
ve cold muslin just the other day for four
cents. Just as We got we'll stocked
only dealt 10 dry gOods-the tumble IN
nrices caused by the close OF the war &C.
rurred. We had on our hands a stock
r~onsidered pretty big IN those days, pur-
rhased far above market price,, But we
rIst hustled the more. The time is doubly
clear to my mind because Lincoln was shot
rlst then and ! remember the thrill OF
horror that went through us all. Every |
Que At the stores had memorial windows
hat were beautiful. We had a particularly
oFectiye one that was commented upon
videly In the pers -one reason being
that we had the only bust Of Lincoln in
o Tistence, 90 far as we knew. | had seeu
10 a barber shop and whom the tragedy
occurred / secured II at once. The pedestal
uas draped with white and black silk with
these quotations from Hamlet;
,r.bl. woe fall ten times treble on that cursed
Vi ao.s wicked deed thy most Ingenious sens,
thee of
.,god night. sweet prince,
nd Nights OF angels sing thee
10 Thy resI,
In spite Of the fact that w purchased
ON goods on the rising market and had
% sell them on the falling, our little store
1rospered and we added floor by floor,
i7ally running through TO Washington
by acquiring a building built by
,ordon l.. Ford. four stories high, 4ONiO
.oat This was considered a tremendous
EDITION at that time, but would not be
worth a paragraph to-day.
In 1895 the assessed valuation Of Brook
.yn was 500, 40, S0s, and taking Il for granted
mt This aIIm rnnreaanta half the Actual