building19

In 1964, a certain Gerald Irwin Elovitz (AKA Jerry Ellis), then a 37 year-old father of three, was fired from his job as an appliance salesman at G.E.M. Department Store. Needless to say, he needed work. For a while, he became an inventor. As an inventor, he developed (and attempted to market) such technological marvels as automatically-returning golf-balls. Inventing, he quickly discovered, was not a good way to support a wife and family.

A long time friend, Harry Andler* (also a father of three), came to Jerry's rescue. Harry invited him to joint venture the sale of a Westerly, Rhode Island furniture fire-stock. For a selling floor they rented a warehouse in the Old Hingham Shipyard. At the time, neither Harry nor Jerry considered their joint-venture to be a permanent endeavor. However, it soon became apparent that the customers who came to the Old Shipyard Building with the number 19 on its side loved its bargains and informality. It also became apparent that the insurance companies liked having an outlet for their salvage merchandise. Once again, Jerry and Harry became "fathers" - this time, of Building #19 Inc.

Building #19, Inc. (which on occasion, behaves much better than real children) retails insurance salvage, bankruptcy stocks, irregulars, railroad salvage, mail order returns, close-outs and other off-price "goodies". An affiliated company, B.N.S. Re-Apportioners Inc., wholesales any surplus or overstocks.