The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-04-28
HIGH TAXES DRIVE
RUSSIAN STORES
TO SECRET TRADE
Back Door" Establish
ments Have Large Ar
ray of Stock.
/ RICH PATRONIZE
Former Royalty Barriers
Jewelry for Everyday
Necessities.
RICH PATRONIZE

MOSCOW April 27.-A hack
door" commerce. carried on through
the back doors of private homes,
has begun to flourish in Moscow
on account of the crushingiy
heavy overhead costs. taxes. rent.
license fees. etc, connected with
legitimate stores, with conventional
front doors and official show-win
dows.
Already this unoficial kind Of
trade has reached such proportions
that in some instances II success
fully completes with the regular
stores. Some OF the back door"
establishments have larger and
inner stocks, accumulated by comb
ing the markets. than the 'front.'
window stores
The choicest millinery shop in
MOSCOW, many art and antique
stores, and the best drug stores are
OF this character.
Don't Advertise.
They do not advertise, Of course.
Their trade comes by the friend
quietly-telis-friend route. But in
Moscow, probably the greatest
whisper-in-about-city in the world
lHis mcthOd Is eHeCtfve.
In company with Russian friends,
I have visited four or I'VE of these
stores"
To reach the millery shop. We 4eft
our sleigh in the courtyard Of an
immense white house which must
have been the residence Of a former
nobleman. We turned into a tiny
door into Jet darkness. Ny guide
let me up two flights and pushed a
door. We literally fell into a
lighted. narrow corridor. We
entered a room. The milliner her
self opened the door. The general
impression of the room was that OF
family storeroom In a middle
western home In the United States.
Hats Cost S.000,0O0 RubIes,
On glass sideboard near the door
were three or four new hats, run
ming to bright greens and browns.
The milliner produced several
others she was making to order.
The hats were all simple, but taste
full. The prices ranged from three
or four to eight million rubles.
Seated at one OF the tables was
a soberly-dressed woman in earnest
conversation with one Of the clerks.
The house" however. would not
give her what she thought her
jewels were worth.
Spread across one OF the boxes
was one Of the most exquisite ORR
entail shawls have ever seen. Upon
II lay a dainty little pair of Tartar
mittens-white leather. with . de-
sign in silk thread on the back. For
- Il.
100000 roubles (about s1.50 at the
present rate OF exchange.)
She then produced a lace scarf
which my friend said was one of
the finest pieces of lacework she
had seen.
stores Keep Dark.
After wandering for Ave minutes
through one hallway after another.
we finally located the front stair
way and descended into a beautiful
reception hail. A couple OF Red SOL
diers sat at a desk near the door
way (which would indicate that the
shop was operating under govern
ment protection), one let us out the
front door. without asking how we
got in.
With another Russian friend
went to a back door" drug store
which, so far as I could judge, was
running without the knowledge OF
the Kremlin. We CROPPED through a
dark courtyard, as before, and
skirted the rear Of big house.
The druggist was a woman OF per-
haps 2s. The drug store was cup
board in the kitchen. Yet 1t con-
tanned, my friend explained. one OF
the best stocks of chemicals in that
part of the city.
I'VE used to give our Jewels for
castor OIL" the wife of a former