611 Harden Street
611 Harden StreetGroucho's Delicatessen
Groucho's Delicatessen was founded in 1940 by Harold C. "Groucho" Miller (1899 - 1974). Miller was born in Connecticut to Issac and Rose Miller, who immigrated from Russia. Miller, his wife, Ethel Luberoff Miller (1903 - 1994), and three children, Donald, Ivan and Arlene, moved to Columbia around 1939. He then purchased Rivkin's Delicatessen, located at 1014 Lady Street, and named it "Miller's Delicatessen and Sandwich Shop." By the following year, the deli was known as "Groucho's," due to Miller's likeness to the famed comedian Groucho Marx. In 1942, Miller moved the deli to 1705 Main Street. In 1947, Miller and his nephew, George Stein, purchased the Rivkin family's other delicatessen at 618 Harden Street. Faye was a young bride who quickly became close with her mother-in-law.
In 1967, Groucho's moved across the street to 611 Harden Street. The following year, Ivan joined the business full time, and he and Faye worked there together for 28 years. Today, Ivan's wife, Fay, and son, Bruce Miller, runs the business, which is now a franchise with 32 locations in North and South Carolina.
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Groucho Miller, often called the Mayor of Five Points, takes a stroll in the 1950s. Image courtesy Bruce Miller
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Groucho Miller and his son, Ivan Miller (1930 - 2001), on a stroll down the eastern side of the 1400 block of Main Street in 1943. Pictured in the background are signs for Jewish merchants Stein's Men's Shop and Friedman's Jewelers. Image courtesy of Bruce Miller
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In The State newspaper, Miller advertised his sandwich shop as being completely kosher, making it the first of its kind in Columbia. They remained at this location for twenty years. Image reprinted from The State March 1, 1947
