MEMORIES
MEL MAISEL
I was employed as a public accountant fresh out of the U of M working towards becoming a Certified Public Accountant. The family had working space in a warehouse on 4th st. and 1st Ave. in Mpls. I met Elliott's parents there where they all participated in the daily routines of ordering merchandise for their 2 stores - Rochester and Brainerd , MN. During an audit, accountants review the records, spot check inventories and prepare income tax returns which our firm did annually. Brother Arnold was there also. Brother Leonard ran the Rochester, MN store and Sam Rosenfeld ran the Brainerd store. Over the course of the years 1948 to 1955 Elliott and Bess became close friends. In fact, in 1952 or '53 my wife, Renee, and the two of them took a Caribbean cruise aboard the French ship, S.S. Antillies. We had a great time, especially in Havana, Cuba. We shared many social times together. We recall you kids in your very early years dashing around the house -wildly is a nice term.
I recall helping out the beginning of what eventually became Groves Kelco. Elliott and Chet Grossman rented a tiny storefront on Olson Highway and Knox avenues in North Mpls. I "pitched in" unloading mdse that would ultimately constitute the beginning of their business which grew unbelievably quickly - successfully. I know first hand because by then I was a CPA and privy to the intricacies of their business. It relocated to Lake St in Mpls. and ultimately to a 110,000 sq. ft. warehouse at 7900 Portland Ave, Bloomington, MN. having merged with a Weiner Family from outstate MN.
We moved to Scottsdale AZ in 1989 but would return to Mpls for six months every year. So, it wasn't difficult to spend time with Elliott during the summer months each year. We remember his living on a houseboat for sometime also. He amazed me, early on, when he insisted on purposely engineering a "fall" and bouncing up without a "wince."
There are so many remembrances of purposely seeking out supermarkets to see him "hawking" the stores' wares. He did it for sheer enjoyment of being with the public.
What a guy! I could go on and on but that's not fair. His friendship will always mean the world and all to me. We were Navy veterans of WW II as well- that also tied us together.
MEL MAISEL
I was employed as a public accountant fresh out of the U of M working towards becoming a Certified Public Accountant. The family had working space in a warehouse on 4th st. and 1st Ave. in Mpls. I met Elliott's parents there where they all participated in the daily routines of ordering merchandise for their 2 stores - Rochester and Brainerd , MN. During an audit, accountants review the records, spot check inventories and prepare income tax returns which our firm did annually. Brother Arnold was there also. Brother Leonard ran the Rochester, MN store and Sam Rosenfeld ran the Brainerd store. Over the course of the years 1948 to 1955 Elliott and Bess became close friends. In fact, in 1952 or '53 my wife, Renee, and the two of them took a Caribbean cruise aboard the French ship, S.S. Antillies. We had a great time, especially in Havana, Cuba. We shared many social times together. We recall you kids in your very early years dashing around the house -wildly is a nice term.
I recall helping out the beginning of what eventually became Groves Kelco. Elliott and Chet Grossman rented a tiny storefront on Olson Highway and Knox avenues in North Mpls. I "pitched in" unloading mdse that would ultimately constitute the beginning of their business which grew unbelievably quickly - successfully. I know first hand because by then I was a CPA and privy to the intricacies of their business. It relocated to Lake St in Mpls. and ultimately to a 110,000 sq. ft. warehouse at 7900 Portland Ave, Bloomington, MN. having merged with a Weiner Family from outstate MN.
We moved to Scottsdale AZ in 1989 but would return to Mpls for six months every year. So, it wasn't difficult to spend time with Elliott during the summer months each year. We remember his living on a houseboat for sometime also. He amazed me, early on, when he insisted on purposely engineering a "fall" and bouncing up without a "wince."
There are so many remembrances of purposely seeking out supermarkets to see him "hawking" the stores' wares. He did it for sheer enjoyment of being with the public.
What a guy! I could go on and on but that's not fair. His friendship will always mean the world and all to me. We were Navy veterans of WW II as well- that also tied us together.