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Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.
Melville Reuben BISSELL

Grand River
Bissell Carpet Sweeper Co.

Like a lot of well-intentioned people who plan on having a relaxing Saturday, we didn’t really mean to start cleaning—it just happened. In 1876, Melville R. Bissell and his wife, Anna, were running a small crockery shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Sick of constantly cleaning sawdust off the shop's carpet, Melville invented and patented a one-of-a-kind sweeper. It didn't take long for friends and customers at the shop to ask about buying the sweeper, and when they did, a new business was born... bissell.com



Postcard
Posted in the Past: Revealing the true stories written on a postcard