"Just Around the Corner"

Thirsty inhabitants of Greenwich Village were alarmed one day fortnight ago to see a large new padlock on the door of a popular 6th Avenue shop. Gone from the window were the innocent green ginger ale bottles which had identified it as one of Manhattan's legion of "cordial & beverage" shops. On the sidewalk rested several battered milk cans. Pasted on the door was a notice that read: "Closed for violation of the Prohibition Law." But before the day was over Villagers were reassured. The sign had not been up 24 hours before above the padlock notice appeared a new, larger sign:

We are now doing business

At our new shop JUST AROUND THE CORNER

These two signs told the whole story of Federal efforts to halt the rapid spread of New York's cordial & beverage shops where almost anybody can buy a bottle of gin for a dollar. Two years ago, one of the first to open was the shop at No. 201 East 44th Street (TIME, Feb. 10, 1930 et seq.). Gin. whiskey, brandy and liqueurs were openly displayed, openly sold. While the proprietor, one Mike, openly scoffed, while a Columbia University student wrote to President Hoover about it, the U. S. District Attorney's office said the matter would be taken up in "regular" order, indictments would be sought. Last week three "For Rent" signs were all that remained in that original cordial shop, but some 4,000 similar shops were doing a thriving business throughout the city.

A cordial shop is easily identified. It is a small, neat store in the window of which are some ginger ale or nonalcoholic liqueur bottles, or a pot of flowers. No longer is liquor on display inside; cautious vendors now keep it under a counter, behind a partition, or in an ice box out back. In some stores a prospective purchaser must bring an introduction or answer questions, but in most of them all comers are served with cheerful uniformity.

Since Jan. 1 the U. S. has raided 851 cordial shops, but because of the light overhead expense a raided operator can open a new shop "just around the corner" within 24 hours. Most of them do. No license is needed. Though only 37 are listed in the business telephone directory, the operators themselves are authority for the estimate that Manhattan now has more than 4,000. New ones are being opened at the rate of about 50 per week. Like grocery stores some are run by individual owners, others belong to chains of 20 or 40. Small stocks are kept in the shops-- enough for one day's trade. Chain operators go from shop to shop in the mornings, leaving supplies.

Competition has reduced prices. Recently Manhattan's West Side shops cut the price of Grade C gin to 75-c-. Some of the East Side shops followed. At others the price has remained $1 and $1.25. Grade B gin is 50-c- more, Grade A 25-c- above that. The grades vary little in taste. Prices depend to some extent on the location of the shops; chiefly on overhead-- rents and "tips." Rents usually vary between $50 and $200 per month; shopowners are unwilling to say how much it costs them to remain unmolested. Profits are not exorbitant. One gallon of the cheapest alcohol costs from $3 to $4 wholesale. Flavoring drops cost $1.25 per quart. From these can be made 14 bottles of 75-c- gin at an average cost of 30-c- per bottle. Labels cost little, bottles about 5-c- each. Grade A alcohol costs $5 or $6 per gallon wholesale, the best drops $5 per quart. Operators who have not cut prices are scornful of 75-c- gin, say it is three-fourths water. Certified analysis of the 75-c- gin showed from 30% to 35% alcohol by volume.

Cordial shops sell nonalcoholic vermouth and cordials. They also sell the "imported" kind. Or they will sell you nonalcoholic vermouth and a pint of alcohol and tell you how to mix them. Some of them take orders for "Canadian" beer, to be delivered by the case. Whiskeys are frankly of local manufacture. Said a cordial shop clerk last week: "You can't get any better whiskey than this [King George] whiskey. The man that made this whiskey has been making whiskey ever since Prohibition."

Last week's quotations at a cordial shop near fashionable Sutton Place: Gin-- Grade A, $2. Grade B, $1.75. Grade C, $1.25. Rye--William Penn $2.50 (pt.), Silver Dollar $3 (pt.), Overholt $4 (pt.), Butterham & Worth $4.50 (pt.). Scotch --Ambassador $2.50 (pt.), King George $2.50 (pt.), Johnnie Walker $4.75 (qt.), King George $4.75 (qt.). Port--$2.25 per quart. Sherry--$2.25 per quart. Grain Alcohol--$9 per gallon. Imported Cordi-als--$4.50 per bottle. Beer--$9 per case of 24 pints.

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