The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-10-09
FOLLOW ODD
OCCUPATIONS


al seem 20 thrive IN their own oe
#. culiar lines.
, on one Of the downtown street,
leading toward the North river. si
side by Side two aged German womey
b who make their living selling cracko,
, china. They have been there fol-
twenty years and have grown old N
the business. They must have founi
trade profitable, for when they first
started they kept their wares in 4:
basket on the sidewalks. while now
each of them has i store fun OF stock
r The proprietress sits outside the
store on a battered chair, Watching
for customers among the passersby.
There is not a thing in the stocks
which IS not damaged. The cups are
! aicked, the plates are cracked. the
pitchers lack handles. the dishes have
pieces missing; Yet there must be n
demand for goods Of that sort. for
these two women have prospered.
A line Of business. said 10 be found
in no ether city, has its location on the
far east side Of New York. where the
population is so dense that not only the
sidewalks but the roadways are
thronged with people all day long, AMI
most Of the night. Here are found a
half dozen men who deal in baked
apples and nothing else.
Their stocks are carried on a por-
table oven of sheet iron. fitted with
wheels and with handle like a push
cart. The interior OF the oven is I'LL
ed with smoldering charcoal. a tiny
chimney projecting from one side oC
the oven, in tempting view of the peo-
| lle on the Street, are the baked APP
pies. crisp. brown steaming The
| price IN always l cent apiece, never
more and never less. When apples
are plentiful the purchaser gets a big
! one Tor his money hut when they
grow scarce the size diminishes ac-
cordinGly, though the price never
varies
In one Of the streets near Washing
ton Square, once fashionable local
ity, are clustered the Italians who
make little statues out Of plaster Of
Paris. Their evenings are devoted to
molding the white images; In the
morning every member of the family
takes little tray or basket fun Of
these and starts out 20 sell them.
They roam all over the city, often
picking out a vacant house. where
they spread their wares on the front
steps so that they may attract the at
tention OF those who pass. These
families never pursue any other line
Of business; they keep at IL winter
and summer, and evidently find II |
profitable.
Situated in n basement in one OF |
the side streets leading from Herald |
Square is an old German who has had |
the same shop for nearly half a CEN |
fury. He knew the fathers of the |
present generation quite as well as he |
now knows their sons and his very |
profitable business is the result of his |
long reputation for reliability.
This mans occupation is mending
rare china ana cut glass If a care
less servant breaks piece of costly |
Venetian glass. for instance, it is pref
~ certain that the owner will take II |
10 this man To be restored. He has
~ Nlilo way IdIlulfN SOIlt Oh the price,
less treasures of art collections, but
no bit Of rare porcelain or crystal was
over safer than when i'm his charge,
Cor he does all the work himself and
will not trust an assistant.
He has a cement of his own man
ufacturc that is different from any
sold in the shops. This can join n
hrnDLy ca that +
out the aid Of a glass. He claims that
the cement Is exceedingly difficult and
expensive to make, so he charges for
that and his skill accordingly, but no
art connoisscur who has ever employ
I'd him has been known to complain Of
mis- bills.
Most Of us have become familiar
with the "old clothes mon" who are
found in every city and many large
towns. l!ut on Seventh avenue are
four negroes who have become spe-
2ialist3 in the business, and deal in | {
nothing hut second hand shoes. Their
shops are in sight of each other and
hey though rivals. are on good
.erms. The purchased who cannot be
itted at one establishment will he es-
'orted by the proprietor to another
where he can be suited.
They pick up their stock on the
Jumps, in the ash barrels, on the |
'treets, anywhere that even one dis
'arded shoe may be found. These
hey mend, patch. black over, match :
nto pairs OF the same size, and put
n stock. The business seems to he
, satisfactory one. for the colored pro- ]
Irietors are busy and happy There :
ire always customers. for In this city
here are many persons whose cir &
are such that they have {
levcr been able to buy a pair Of who'll
y new shoes and never expect To pur- ]
'hase such a pair. These merchants y
10 not deal in new shoes at all.
Then there is n woman who has {
herself for years by doing :
iothing but matching buttons. If the
,wner OF 81 900 imported gown loses n
button whose match cannot be {
ound in this country il is to this
woman that she comes. il
IL does not matter whether the I
Town came from Paris. Vienna, or st. T.
this woman will sketch
ne OF the remaining buttons, take u