The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-12-03
>T,sATL CLEANED UP--BOTH
SHADES AND A FORTUNE

some years ago. and not so many
that, Charles SegaU, of 2T4s Broad
way, New York. was a decorator. Hi
was not just a painter and wall paper
+. h|nger--ba WAS a decorator--a mar
( with brains. am bition. common SENSE
/ and farcr than any of them, keen
| gift for foresight
One Of the most constant of the in
| quirtes he received from the owners OF
| newly dncora ted establishments was
for some process whereby shades
might he renovated or Mt least par
TALLY cleansed. Unlike draperies,
they could not be dyed. Renewal was
more or lese extensive and their care
became a problem. Inquiry failed TO
reveal any way Of cleansing them or
any one who could undertake. the
job, whereupon Segan. in character
istic fashion, decided that here lay
his hig opportunity.
Busy during the day. ne spent his
rights in experiment. All he could
Law away in surplus went into his ma
chimes Early morning found him in
his laboratory com pounding chemicals
and cleansing fluids NO mark on
woodwork or wallpaper was too obsti-
nate to resist his efforts He scratch
| ed matches an white woodwork some
Ai43its thai NDdiH remove the marx
| And he succeeded II seemed as II
dirt fed at his approach. But moth
ing satisfied him. The goal toward
which he worked was q perfected ma
chine and chemical that would clean
| window shades II was more an am
| oition than an enterprise. inasu uch
as at TINT time (before the war, win
| dow shades we're SO inexpensive that
| they could be replaced without undue
extravapance
Then the war came
Imports were fewer. Linen became
scarcer and tho price of window
shades. made from Holland linen. be
| gan tn soar 10 q startling figure,
! Paper shades were substituted whore
| new ones had 10 he purchased out
right, but what could be done with
! the real linen shades that needed only
! cleaning 10 make them worth ten
| times as much aa the paper onese
! Right here the genie rubbed his
lamp.
sesalI began az the top. No nfk-
/ ing for hjtn He went ont to the biz
| people who had been his patrons and
| told them his story. He went 70 the
/ largest real estate firms in the city
| men who knew both him and hi.
work, He told them what he had
| done, what he could do. and offered
| 10 help them ont If they would lei
| him make the trial by restoring their
| sha les to a condition as good as new
i Or course, they did not believe hs
| could DO 1t, but finally they let hin
have some meldy shades that hat
been stored in the cellar. He sen
| them back like new. As In the previ
Gus case, they simply refused then
a the VAL hat Il h
own shades He carried them bach
and took with him the now famou:
| stripe Of Before and After Taking" tr
| substanttate his claim They were
amazed. One firm after another gen
for him and turned over their work
Hospitals. Institutions. municipal
| buildings and apartment hotels al
hurried in their orders until the Segai
window Shade Cleaning cornpan,
held up it's hands in desperation.
TIN shop was small. experiment.
were costlv and already Segall hat
sunk his own small savings ant
what he could borrow into the thre,
machines that stood ready fer work
He wae IN no Position to. ..galarse,, hi
st@fe or ADD 10 his equipment
The present cana city Of the shop 1
500 shades week, Tho personne
consists OF FIVE employees and bushes
Is simply ciarnoring for adnittance
Instead OF hurryinE ont looking 10
more business. Segail bags peopl
not TO tell their friends that he ha
cleaned their shades But because h
Is the only man in the United state
so far as he knows who has thi
I peculiar occupation he has had to as
sign to his stenoErapher the remark
able duty of saving to applicant
quietly aed r+eousiw that 9TH
Scgail Window Shade Clea ming com
pany regrets that II is unable TO car
for any more now business"