Thursday, June 5, 2008

Secrets of Her Success

1895

A Boarding House Keeper Lets Light on an Interesting Subject.

A very successful boarding house keeper was telling a writer for the New York Recorder some secrets of her good fortune.

"Above all," said she, "I try to keep every part of my two houses just as clean as I possibly can, but I am not the only one in this business who does that, though it's a great point. Then I have always hired large houses. You cannot possibly make money in a small one. I have clung to a neighborhood and made my houses distinctive by having at some expense vines trained from basement to roof. Those vines are my trademark. When folks forget the number, they say, 'The house with the vines.' Moreover, they give the place such a shady, cool look in summer that people are not so anxious to get off to the country. The green effect takes away the hot, stuffy look and something of the feeling. Then I make a point of being very liberal with towels and napkins. This item costs me perhaps $25 more in a year than it would the usual boarding house keeper in my place, but it brings me in the outlay multiplied many times. Of course I set as good a table as I can, and my rooms are well furnished, but as good can be had elsewhere. My luck in letting rooms I have always believed to be due to the fact that I have a piano in nearly every large apartment. It is really odd to see how a piano will attract a person. Why, I can get $5 or $6 more a week for a suit with a piano, which doesn't cost that much a month. If people don't want the instrument, it can be moved out. One other point. I use the same kind of carpet in every room in the house as far as I can, so when it wears shabby all the good may he brought together and made use of. I find there's great economy in this.

"Lastly, I have no helpless, lazy relatives such as usually cripple a woman in my line, eating her out of house and home and disgruntling the boarders. If I had, I think I should provide for them elsewhere, for in a boarding house their room is generally worth more than their company or their half hearted attempts at helping."

Note: In the article the lady does say "a suit with a piano." I've never heard that before, so maybe it should be suite. But also, maybe, it's like a suit of clothes, or a variation of suite. Or just a typo. I don't know.

No comments: