Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-05-06
RErIREs AFTER rHIRrY.oNE YEARS.
Chas. Trzcinski. Pioneer Barber. Gives In
terestine Story Of His Business Career
In DEBORAH.

Last Friday, the first day of the
month, w. j. Hauswirth and Jos.
Shima took possession of the barber
shop of Cbas. Trzcinski. the latter re-
firing from active business. In an in
terview withTMr. Trzcinski he gave
us the following interesting story of
his career:
Coming to DEBORAH March IL, 1877,
he entered the employ of S. Muller.
who was then conducting barber
shop in the Adams block, where Ben
=, Bears store now stands. Later he
conducted a shop for Mr.. Muller for
three weeks in the Arlington House
basement. now the Lutheran Publish
ing House. which did not pay, the
hotel never having a paying patronage
on account of its location. About
May /, 1877 he bought out the little
Muller shop, which had frontage of
only IL feet and depth of only 81
feet. 1t faced Winnebago street,
where Ben Bear trunk room now is.
Part of this building was two stories
high. 1t was occupied by Bear &
Rose, clothiers, on the corner, and
Ace Adams. photographer, in the
second story; back of the clothing
store was Newton's grocery, the
clothing store wood shed, Trzcinski's
barber shop, and John Meuser's Jewell
ry store. with Coleman & Toye's drug
store next to the alley. All the stores
in the building had good patron
age. as at that time Winnebago street
was as good for business as Water
street.
On Thanksgiving night, about
eleven O'Clock, a fire broke out in the
little drug store, and in half hour
there was nothing left of the Adams
block. The clothing from Ben Bears
store was carried. into the street and
scattered from Rastetter's saloon to
the Montgomery drug store. Mr.. Bear
soon recovered from the fire loss, how.
ever, and bought out Mr.. Rose, and
has been very successful since, as is
we'll known. Thos. Graham was mar
shall at this time, and the night of the
fire he stuck his foot through a glass
cigar case which had been carried
into the street from the Trzcinski
shop. The case was we'll filled with
cigars at the time, but the next morn
ing they had vanished. It is said that
Tom is still putting away at those
cigars as he wanders up and down the
corridors of the state house in Des
Moines at midnight hour.
Mr.. Trzcinski was out of business
Just one day. The next night after the
fire he bought out the Kesselmayer
shop and took possession at once. One
hundred dollars paid for the shop and
good will This shop was over
Leonard s book store. In the summer
it was so hot there that the front and
back windows had to be removed to
live in it, but in winter it was differ |
ent. one morning it was 20 degrees be- |
low zero in the shop.
On the Gath, day of June 1888. he
moved to the present location on
Water street. In the fall of 1894 the |
present building was constructed,
which he has since occupied. go
The new proprietors, Messrs. Haus-
with & Shima, both entered the en-
ploy of Mr.. Trzcinski when they were
fourteen years Of age and worked for
him at intervals since. They need no
or recommendation for |
they are known to everyone as very
BARRIERS. They have the good |
will of their former employer, and he |
hopes that the patronage accorded |
him for the past thirty-one years will
be granted to them in the future.