The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-08


 He had some money and he had fair amount of courage. He had been with the house of Claliin & Co. more than 70 years He determined to give up his po- stion and put his money into the business with Miss smith.
 1t was in the closing days of 1908 that Miss Smith and Mr. Schneider incor- porated the M. M. Smith Company. They rented q floor in loft building at No. i3f West Twonty-hfth street. in the heart of the manufacturlns dry goods district. In January, 1904. and from the first day u ey went in there they had plenty of or ders. In 1903 Miss Smiths total business had amounted to s9)0 and she had em- ployed five operatives. In the year 1904 the new company did business of $S0.000 and employed 40 hands. The business grew go fast that they had to take an ether floor and double the number of op- eratives. In 1906 the business still con tinued to grow, it's total volume for that year being S150,000. In 1907 the company had 175 operatives and did a business of more than s20O,000. In the busy season Miss Smith worked from 7.3) In the morn ing until 10;30 at night. She was boss of everything. She looked after the de- signing. the cutting, the selling, and she had charge of all the workers. The ex- perience She got in those days of her struggle stood her in good stead. She knew material, she knew men. She knew the public needs. she was wonderfully thorough. She examined every dress be- fore 1t left the shop. She wanted to tabish a reputation that would be of value to her in the future. Every gar ment that was made in that establish pent was from her design, so that every thing that went out of that place was practically her creation. She was not con- tent with her designing, the cutting, the selling and the supervision of the work CTS. but she even attended to the ship ping. She must be a kindly boss, for she never has had q strike or a serious diff ference with her employees,
 The business grew so fast that she hardly could keep mp with 1t. In 1905, 1866 and 1907 1t was impossible for her 10 handle all the orueTs which poured in on her In each one of those three years she had to reject orders that meant tens of thousands of dollars Of work. In the last five years her business has averaged about S2c9.c0O q year. She Is not rushed 30 much now as she used to be. She has three of her sisters assisting her. She has moved to New York and has her fam fly in a handsome home in the city. She goes to Europe twice a year. She Is up- to-date in everything. Her trips abroad are not for pleasure. but for business. She goes there to study the styles and 10 get new ideas. Incidentally she gets rest and recreation on those transatlantic journeyings
 Ten years ago she practically was un- known. Today every one in the dry goods business knows Marguerite Smith, head of the M M. Smith Company In ttese ten years Miss Smith has accumu- lated a private fortune of between sG),oo0 and s7e.000. She Is just as ambitious to- day as sine was the day she started ou. for herself. She is 41 years old, and has yet 10 reap the real harvest of her work She has given wonderful exhibition Of V hat ambition and determination on the Tert of a woman can do in this city from humble beginnings. Mir. Schneider the man who stood responsible for that S30o credit with H. E. Claflin S Co.,, has