The Washington herald., 1920-11-24
GHETTO MARTS
IN TRADE WAR
East Side Cuts Prices as
Lure Prohibition Blamed
For Slump.
By Q. Q. MeINTYRE.


NEW YORK, Nov. s3.-These are
drab days In the Ghetto. A cut-rate
war Is on among those picturesque
curb merchants OF the East Side.
The Ghetto trade mart 10 dszed by
lack Of customers and money.
Business, in the Ghetto argot, has
gone already to ker-smash" The
market surges and bubbles and
harangues at the corner of Bayard
and Elizabeth streets.
Long-whiskered merchants stand
all day under overcoats, clothes and
haberdashery Of gil descriptions
thrown over their venerable shoul-
ders. Others carry strings Of unre-
lated shoes. hats, blankets and
5tngle-jumble. The. slump In trade
has caused the greatest consterna-
tion Of anything since that lurid
day fve years ago when Sam Green
baum, over on Rivingten street, put
q jaxx orchestra In his knish foun-
dry and took all the customers from
kavilovftch's restaurant across the
street.
The Ghetto puts. some of the
blame on prohibition. Say" said
one merchant who was trying to get
rid Of some remarkable striped
shirts at 80 cents each, 'if I could
ever set my eyes on q drunken
sailor again "a die for 10y" Dur
Ing the war buoyantly bunned SAIL
ors were reckless customers, and
even II they did pull the whiskers
of the merchants and play ring
around-the-rosie with them they
spent money freely.
These days the retailers. Q poly
giot crowd from all nations. pace
up and down outside their stores
Ike hungry wolves. The passerby
who makes a noise like money 10
not invited In, He Is dragged in
by the hair of the head II necessary.
their backs but they always have--
isher garment, you wouldn't believe
such . bargain" inside.
One wrinkled merchant, who spent
his boyhood In Omak. tried to sell
me - niftich overcoat; real fur,
gentleman, just like the swell sports
wear it up on Broadway" for S45.
I good naturedly haggled to see
how far he would drop. He came
down to si4.25. and then walled:
20. Lena; come out kervick or
will so II In bankruptcy" His wife
appeared from the dark recesses in
the back and tried to complete the
sale.
While quotations were dropping
a quarter at a time. q young black
haired, red-cheeked son sat on .
dry goods box-his naoe was Zebu-
lon-reading a volume entitled
How to Talk Business to Win; 'or.
1872 Ways to Meet, Persuade and
Convince . Customer"
She was magnihcentiy Eroomed,
stately, and had the austere dignity
OF chilled steel. She was waiting
under a cafe entrance for her car
riage, while the starter flashed the
numbers in electric lights. There
was a long walt, for there was a
heavy line of cars. Out of the lobby
came a highly-perfumed he pest.
looking for conquests. He twisted
the tip of his thin mustache as he
appraised her. Then he walked
over. lifted his hat. and held out
his hand. She took Il, her eyes
filled with wonder. She thought
she had merely failed to recognize
an acquaintance. or he was making
a mistake. Then she suddenly re-
allied 1t was a vulgar fiirtation.
Like a cat her hand ieaped to his
face and was drawn quickly down
his cheek. 1t left five family red
lines. And he retreated In con-
sternation. Ultra dramatic. 1t
seeped into the newspapers for a
day-and died. oh. yes; the lady
was starring in a film. The name
of it was something like "The
Tigers Claw" But one wonders
what the poor fish got for having
his face scratched.
An enterprising young American
boy. with a horse drawn wagon
filled with fruit he carefully selects
from the produce houses-averages
SIS a week selling his goods at a
curb on Forty-seventh street-all
done after school hours.