The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-11
MANY BUSINESS CHANGES DUE IN
 HEART OF CITY
Raise in Rents Makes Changes of Long
 Established Firms
Fad.Ord B. Smith to Have Store in George B. CIark's New
 Block

The next few weeks will witness many changes among the business houses in Main street New signs viii hang in front of many stores while old firms that have done busi- ness on the main sten1'' for more than quarter of a century will re- move to other locations.
 The recent increase in the appraisal of the value of Main street property made by the tax assessors with con Gequent increase in rents of Main street stores by the property owners is said to be responsible for removal Of many merchants to other loca- tions.
 Broa5 street seems much favored by those who find it hard to carry on a profitable business in Main street at the present rate of Main street rents. In the past few years Broad street has become as a business thor oroughfare second only to Main street. With the changes now going on in the street which, makes room for more business, Broad street is certain to obtain mere importance 'as abusiness avenue.
 Radford B. Smith. who for 37 years has been engaged in the dry goods business at Main street and Fairfield avenue will remove to Broad street and Fairfield avenue as soon as the store there is ready for occupancy George B. Clark who recently pur- chased this property from the Bishop estate is remodelling it and making over a former apartment block in to a business building.
 MT. Smith will occupy the corner store with a frontage of glass show windows on Broad street of 95 feet. The remodeled building will be faced with buff pressed brick. Besides the l I,i~ -+0 fr The h1T11dinZ MT, smith will also occupy a smaller store on the Broad street side. Another small store at the end of the building on the Broad street side, will be oc- cupfed by another merchant who will leave Main street, but MT. Clark s1s not ready yet to give out his name.
 On the Fairfield avenue side the building will have five stores Several of the stores are already rented but MT. Clark does not care to say who the tenants will be, the announce ment now might embarrass them
 The building which MT. Smith now occupies in Main street, is part of the Budau estate For a number of years MT. Smith had a partner and the bus mess was conducted under the firm name of Peet & Smith. MT. Peet died some years ago and since then Mir Smith has conducted the business alone. Several years ago MT. Smiths business grew so rapidly that he also occupied the store in Fairfield avenue, a part of the same property.
 Who will replace MT. Smith as tenant has not yet been decided. The United Cigar Stores Co. has made oyertures' for the store but as yet has made no definite arrangement to oc- cupy it. The ChiIds Restaurant Co. and at least six local business men have made inquiries concerning the terms of rental, lease, etc, according
 4I,1 Q
 Within a, few weeks the filling Ruo- Der Go. which has a. store at 1127 Main street and at 27 Elm street, will re- move to it's own building in Main street almost directly opposite the present store the company occupies
 Alterations are also to be made in the Curtis block and the store at Main and Elm streets formerly oc- cupied by the Curtis drug store.
 The F. J. Jelke Co.,, handling dairy supplies and products, formerly occu- pied half of this store. The Je1ke Go. has removed it's business within the week to a store in Cannon street which was once the undertaking parlors of John Ford l.. M. Corbit has occu- pied part of the building as a photo graph studio and a sa1esrooIn for cameras and supplies. In few days he will remove to new studio that is being fitted up for him in the build ing directly opposite in Main street.
 The agents for the former Curtis property will not say who is to occupy it when it is remodeled. It is said that several firms now doing business in Main street between Fairfield ave- nue and State street have made in quiries concerning the rental of the stores which s. 2. PoIi will build in Main street, north of his new theatre
 The work of raging the old buiId- ings which formerly occupied this site is nearly completed and the new build ing will be started in a few days.