A Local Clothing Empire Abandons Seattle for Guatemalan Coffee
After four years in the city, the Buxbaum clothing house liquidates its inventory to pursue a radical new venture in Central American agriculture.
The Great Clothing House which for the past four years has furnished thousands of Puget Sound people with high-class clothing, furnishings, and hats will now discontinue. Messrs. I. Buxbaum & Co. have decided to go entirely out of the clothing business and embark in coffee culture in the state of Guatemala, Central America. The new venture offers such inducements that the entire stock of clothing must be sold, even at an enormous loss, in order that Mr. Buxbaum may be enabled to take his departure to new fields as soon as possible. The store will be closed today to mark down stock in anticipation of the rush expected.
“The entire stock of clothing, etc., must be sold, even at an enormous loss, in order that Mr. Buxbaum... may be enabled to take his departure to new fields.”
The transition from urban retail to international agricultural speculation captures the 'gold rush' mentality of the 1890s, where entrepreneurs frequently pivoted to find the next big boom beyond the local storefront.
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