The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-04-29
SHOE Shining FORTUNES
Bootblacks are glad to pay
very high rentals.
ARE ACTUAL CAPITALISTS
Space In Big New York Building is
Coveted by Man who is Relegat-
ing the "NickcI Shine" TO ObIiy-
ion-Rcasons for Growth of Bus
iness.

A New York bootblack once said
that the shining of shoes was as
much of an art as the painting of
pictures. He looked upon his work
as a profession. and conducted it
accordingly. He studied the pro-
per way to apply elbow grease as
well as blacliing, developed shine
that lasted three days, made a repu-
tation, friends. and a fortune, fin
ally retiring, to devote his whole
time to the manufacture of leather
dressings.
Before that man came from Italy
the bootblacking industry was in
the hands of m IN and boys, who
shouldered their kits and did much
the same work that is done by the
youngsters of to-day in City Hall
Park. OF course, there were chairs
in buildings but the average operator
caked boots with backing and rub
bed on shine that rubbed off with
in couple of hours.
He had imitators, to be sure, and
some did not hesitate II couple his
name with their own. but his repu-
tation as a bootbla k grew apace.
and his patrons demanded stations
in other parts of the town. He ca
tered to their wants and they made
him wealthy. He was really the
pioneer of bootb,acking, as It is prac-
ticed now, and each year sees an ex-
pansion of the business, with keen
er competition among the Italian cap
italists engaged In It, They are, by
the way, actual capitalists, for it
takes much money to swing the bus
mess.
An indication of this was the re-
cent rental by Joseph P. Day of space
in the Hudson Terminal Buildings to
bootblack company, whi,n was or
ganized for the purpose. aid will be
the only American concern In the
business in New York, Italians hav-
ing monopolized the shining CT shoes
for a good many years. The COM
pany took 400 square feet in the
main corridor of the Fulton build
ing, near the elevators, and 100
square feet at the CortIandt, and
agreed to pay $4,000 for a period
CT twelve years, or $10,400 a year.
Not less than ten per cent of the
population of sich buildings as the
Empire, Equitable. Schermerhorn.
Broad Exchange. and Produce Ex-
change, patronize the bootblack
chairs in them. Heavy rentals are
paid in each of these structures and
there is much competition among the
boss bootblacks when they hear that
one OF the buildings has space to Of
fer in the corridor.
In the Equitdblo the ,ootblack
stall rents for a yearly sum which
r.nges between $4,000 and $4,000,
while in the Empire, the rental is
said to be nearly $1,000. The pop
ulation of the latter is large, and,
moreover, the building has
an arcade leading to the
elevated. Through this pas
sage way walk thousands of per-
sons, many of whom stop for d shine
or to have their hats cleaned. An
arcade is, of course, a much more
valuable stand than a place which
has no continuous flow of people.
Privileges in Office buildings are
rot th- only ores of value. Take.
for instance. the ferryboats and
ferry houses and railroad terminals.
The Italian firm which has the ex-
elusive right to shiI shoes on the
municipal ferryboats running to
Staten Island pays 5000 Month &c
tie city, or $1,000 year. Proper.
Tomato sums are paid for similar
privileges on the Erie, Lackawanna
and other boats. On the municipal
ferry to South Brooklyn, the privi
lege costs 5000 year. although the
volume of traffic is comparatively
small when compared with Other
! lines.
One reason why the bus
mess has grown so large Is tC
b, found in the fact that fewer per
ons shine their ow, shoes. The MAJ
of the present gene. alton may owl
a polishing outfit, but the chances
are against his using 1t regularly. HI
is likely to argue that he will spen,
less time and no energy If he put
himself in the hands of the boot
tlack in his building. Certainly tn,
work will be better done than h.
could do it at home, and it costs on
ly a nickel or dime. an insignif
cant sum.
But these coins are the ones tina
fill the bOotblack's till. Years age
before he had weaned the New York
er from his own brushes, the boot
black rarely, If ever, charged NOR
than five cents Tor a shine.