The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-05-03

others on Atlantic ivepue. concentrated
I on the block between Hilary street and
Z Myrtle avenue. Bevond that was very like
! the country. The building nov occupied
hy Nutting vas Mozart Gardens. and !
remember hearing about a womav named
! Mary Anderson walking 10000 miles there
IN a. many quarter hours-and that wac
/ not E, long ago either.
"Wo we're beginning 10 grow very
/ rapidly taking IN floors aboye-but 80
rorp ~ situated that we finally found that
70 were 100 big for space We had to occupy
o. Ike he boy who putgrous his trousers.
Another store owned tho hIlidlngs on each
ado If IA and Ne could not secure tham.
Ure d4y ! MAS walking NJ Fulton street
and syw the Wheeler building. and II came
T. mc like a fash that when the new bridge
was opened that part ot Fulton street
could be made the centre Of Brooklyn.
We had tho late Mr.. James, the real estate
man. Qnetly negotiate for the Wheeler
huilu'nC. the owners coming together
without knowing who wanted thus big
whito elephant Of a building.
When the papers reported that n was
NechsIer \ Abraham and that they were
gong to move away from the business
centre Of Brooklyn there was great sur
PRISE and no end Of comment TO the effect
that we were making a serious error. In
deed. odd as il may seem this day, there
we're so many men that believed the limit
of BrookHn's business possibilities was
the City Hall that even those few houses
that we're already established beyond
that line sincerely advised rue that they
we're e~ndeavorlng to get stores below
Myrtlc avenue and would move down II
hey could. The idea Of opening a structure
like the wheeler building was considered
by these men sheer folly.
But the faith in the future Of Brooklyn
that always possessed me was justified by
Brooklyn's growth, and from the first the
venture that then a judged so amazing
va, an immense success. And since then
We have trehled il size and more in addition.
Thar, was an attempt TO keep the centre OF
trals on low er Fulton street, but the TIDE
had turned and one after another the other
stores came w town. The stores that did
moi follow have gone out Of business, As the
whole character o. the nelghborhood has
changed,
Iii is a singular thing and a very sug-
gestive fact that until the bridge came
and the shopping centre OF Brooklyn
changed the bulk OF the shopping was done
in New York. Now il is the exception
Tor a Rrooklvn woman 10 shop In Manhattan.
Nhsn we started in business 10 1885 there
was but one store in Brooklyn that sold
silks Journeay A Burnham carrying black
silks only. No one attempted TO cell colored
silks here. Women used TO apologize for
buvinR in Brooklyn. They would get their
Innings and little things In the Brooklyn
hops, with the explanatory remark that
they wanted 70 be patriotic and help the
home stores. Now they apologize when
thew buy 10 Manhattan.
As forthe future Of Brooklyn, as see
II now with the first subway in use, II is as
boundless as it's magnificent territory and
snlendid situation, with the ocean and bays
on two sides and the river on the other;
with more subways and bridges completed
I expect TO sec this borough extend 20
Jamaica and beyond. built up with com
forable homes. Jamaica Bay will be
deapened and in the not so far future will
he Inc port Of entry for all foreign com.
herewith a network Of great docks and
snlendid warehOuses-with a forest OF
factories and hundreds Of homes for their
employees. From Just beyond the Queens
line Long Island will be the summer resort
OF Greater New York-but inside the line
that marks the greater city the improved
transit facilities will build mp a world mes
.tropolis that will leave London behind