UNION TEA AND COFFEE COMPANY

UNION TEA AND COFFEE COMPANY. Union Tea and Coffee Company of New York, a wholesaler, began the construction of a number of retail stores across the country in 1884. One was located in Dubuque under the management of J. H. Wade of Brooklyn, New York. By 1886 it was determined that the expansion had been a bad idea. Several of the stores were sold. The one in Dubuque had been profitable. (1)

The 1886-87 Dubuque City Directory listed 709 Main as the location of the renamed Union Tea Company when the business was sold on December 13, 1886 to H. D. Kelly. (2) A former editor of the Dubuque Herald, Kelly was considered a success in his new business by March 1887 when his former paper announced he now had eight new employees. Three were traveling salesmen. New lines had been added to the stock and a new location for the company had been chosen.

The business in 1887 was moved to 737 Main. (3)

The 1899-1900 Dubuque City Directory listed 1179 Iowa.

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Source:

1. "Business Venture," Dubuque Daily Herald, December 14, 1886, p. 1

2. "Notice of Sale," The Herald, December 17, 1886, p. 4

3. "To Move This Week," The Herald, March 6, 1887, p. 8