Evening star., 1933-10-31
HISTORIC GA[T'S
STORE L|QU|DATES
Indications Point to With
draWaI of Famous JeWeIry
Store From Business.

Liquidation OF the 131-year-old hrm
Of Gait g. Bro, nationally famous
jewelers. and silversmiths Of ll07 Penn
sylvania avenue. was announced today.
While definite statements concern
ing the future of the establishment
were not forthcoming from its officials,
indications are that the advertised sale
Of the firms "entire stock" means the
ultimate withdrawal of the store from
Washintons business horizon.
William H. Wright, manager of the
firm, told The Star that the liquida-
ton, which begins tomorrow, means
that Mrs. woodrow Wilson, widow Of
the former President and sole pro-
prietor of Calf g. Bro, wants to liqui-
date her investment"
Mr.. Wright explained that the old
of blows dealt the retail business by
the depression. Inroads made by gen.
eral business conditions. he said, were
particularly deep at Galt's by virtue
of its peculiar position In the jewelry
field. Clients of Gait & Bro, he ex-
planned, were. for the most part. per-
sons of means. many of whom received
their incomes from their estates. Dur
ing the depression these persons of ap-
parent wealth witnessed severe reduc-
ton of their incomes so that purchase
of jewelry and precious objects was
reduced to a minimum.
Business Depends on Future.
N-r,,+,. +ba rooeop-tbere reaIlv is
no excuse-for the liquidation, Mr..
Wright said. While the people with
thousands Of dollars worth of dia-
monds of their own have their jewels
stored away because they do little or
no entertaining now, there was time
when they gave parties for SO or rs
guests and ordered for each guest $40
souvenirs. That business now Is
lost"
Mr.. Wright said that the liquida-
tiOn will take at least three months"
and that the future course of the
firm will rest largely upon the de-
velopments Of that period. Asked II
the business would be sold to buyer
who might undertake to continue II,
he said that If buyer who would agree
to operate Gait g. Bro. as ethically as
The ~ same same poiicies which have made it
a Nation-renowned institution, "a very
advantageous buy" might be made. But
he made 1t plain that the firm will not
be sold into hands which would under
take to market low-grade merchandise
under the advantage Of the firms ira
ditional name.
"A business that has lived clean for
131 years is not going to die dirty, ne
said.
Reviewing the relations between Gait
g. Bro. and its clients, Mr.. Wright SAID
he had - seen frequently as nigh as
100000 worth Of jewelry handed over
the counter to regular customers who
weren't even required to sign a receipt
When such clients examined the lot Of
jewelry in their own homes, they would
return whatever pieces they did not
choose to buy.
Mrs. Wilson Sole Owner.
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson has been sole
owner of Gait & Bro. since the death
of her first husband, Norman Calf, in
1908. She inherited the business from
him and was a widow until December
18, 1915, when she married President
Wilson.
The old firm had been In the hands
of members of the Gait family from its
founding in 1902. James Gait, son of
a Western Maryland farmer, was the
founder of the business. He was sent
as q young man to Georgetown to learn
the art and craft Of Matchmaking and
when he was ready to set up his own
business he chose Alexandria as the city
for his occupation. Washington, in
1902, was a more or less barren tract
Of land, while Alexandra was q thriving
city.
The firm, first known simply as
"Galts," thrived. But SO did the Ma
tional Capital, and in 1925 James Gait
moved his business to Washington, set
ting up his place Of business on Penn
sylvania avenue at Ninth street. James
Gait continued to conduct his business
until 1847, when he died. The business
then went to his sons, Matthew w. and
William Gait, who operated it as M. w.
Gait & Bro.
The next member Of the family to
head the firm was Norman Gait, son
of Matthew Gait. It was Norman Gait
who married Miss Edith Boiling OF
Wytheville, Va, and when he died he
left the business to her. It was this
MIS- MIS- %a %oodro~ UR' wilson MIS- Wilson
now makes her home In the house at
fsrsss s aSed 's When and they
left the White House.
Gait d Bro. has occupied It's present
location since 1868 and the building
that houses it there Is believed to be
the first "iron-front" business house IN
Washington.