How Many Buggy Whip Makers Were There, Really?

It’s common to deride the “buggy whip makers” as a class of businesses that couldn’t hack the technological disruption caused by the introduction of the automobile. The once-vibrant whip business run over by the internal combustion engine’s power. The horror! Is there no respect for the past?
Anyway, I was researching Louisville in the mid-19th century [...]