The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-26

A most vivid complication of the negroes's buying power may be obtained from n study of dark town" at night. For the most part the purchasing fo:ce of tho white race stops with dusk. In the negro trading contc,s business runs far into the night. From an altruistic point of view this is merely a colorfui sight, but to all investor it means high geared returns.
 There is slogan in the real estate market that "highest-priced retail pro- perty follows the best negco retail sec tion." Whether this is accepted aS fact or not it is at least given some weight in the light Of past events. At one time the negre used Nineteenth street with fringes of his retail shops extending to Twentieth. This position is far distant, from the standpoint % property values, from his present haunts. The white re- tail district has now suiged down lower Second avenue with the exception that ic vii! eventually encompass blocks on i Eighteenth street. Ie the Fythian build ing. the last stronghold of the negro on Eighteenth, is sold. and reports are that it has been placed on the market. the move is expected 10 be more ap- parent. The four-Story department store proposed by J. c. Whitesield at Fourth and Eighteenth will be another out standing factor.
 There are other proposals which would tend to make Fourth avenue an outstanding commercial street. One of these, still very much in the air, is the plan to open up the avenue e Ensley. Cutting Fourteenth, q through street between the north and southsidc, this wolld undoubtedly aid the section
 "It I should need convincing on | Fourth avenue valUes," says one lead ing student of property ;n the section. T would at least be influenced by the character oe investors theie. There are 60 u;Ore conservative I.al estate hoh- CTS !hae the Steiner Brothers and they own three important corners. J. G. Whitefield, the Tennessee operator who has hundreds of thousand dollars worth os Birmingham business property and whose judgment is rarely found wanting in realty matters, is heavily invested along Fourth avenue. These men and others | consider capable of visioning the future through their past experience
 When you fign,e that We have race of S0,000 people he,e on q high level of wages ana who are notoriously
 
 field for development has only barely been scratched In my opinion, Fourth avenue between Fourteenth and Eigh- iecnt6 streets will soon be buzzing retail center.''
 During the past week rumors of Fourth avenue Improvements have kent the market agog. Mark IIodo, who was instrumental in lining Gp the new theater project, reports numerous sales ct rapidly enhancing values, while Hy- man leader, of the Ingram Land com pany, whose activities on Fourth in the last year total over half million dollars, also turned good number of trades.
 The new motion picture house will give Peck tlic operation of four thea ters here since ,:r alr9udy controls the Five Points, Nrr:A D'rISiSgiram, and ysIs- f:e'! eate-s. rseas four. it ia hslievad will sc.,r 1s d., ':Uelsus of a big striaR which he eventually intends to operats. In eOntrOi over ihe group Peck will be Abie ;U more economically bring betteE films to Birmingham.