The Midnight Exit of a Madison Street Grocer
A local merchant leaves his shop in the hands of creditors, leaving the neighborhood to wonder where the debt-ridden shopkeeper fled.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
J. A. McCartney, a grocer at 811 Madison Street, has suddenly left Seattle for parts unknown, leaving behind liabilities of about $1,000, while the assets will not reach more than $100. About two months ago, McCartney began to fall in his payments, but the local wholesale grocers, assuming him to be a safe customer, had always been liberal to him. Last Sunday afternoon, residents of the neighborhood saw two express wagons back up to the door of the store, and they were seen busy loading and moving McCartney’s goods. A few days later, it was learned that McCartney had left for parts unknown. The delivery wagons of the different firms drove up to Mr. McCartney’s store Saturday, and the remaining stock was turned over to their respective owners.
“Residents of the neighborhood saw two express wagons back up to the door of the store, and they were seen busy loading and moving McCartney’s goods.”
The neighborhood around 8th and Madison remains a dense commercial corridor, though the 'small grocer' model has largely been replaced by high-end markets. McCartney’s sudden departure over $1,000 in debt highlights the fragility of local small business ownership in a booming city—a recurring anxiety in Seattle’s history of rapid development and high turnover.
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