William (Bill) Ellison, 79, his Value Village & Savers stores became largest for-profit chain of thrift stores in the nation
ZapRats
Obituary
Value Village founder Bill Ellison, 79, built chain on Golden Rule
By Charles E. Brown
Seattle Times staff reporter
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/obituaries/2004452013_ellisonobit02m.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2008/06/01/2004451675.jpg
William (Bill) Ellison started with one thrift store in San Francisco in
1954.
William (Bill) Ellison started with one thrift store in San Francisco in
1954.
Retired Northwest entrepreneur William (Bill) Ellison, whose chain of
Value Village and Savers stores grew to become the largest for-profit
chain of thrift stores in the nation, was known for his sense of humor
and smile, said Ellen Spiess, a spokeswoman for the Bellevue-based chain.
Mr. Ellison, 79, died at his Bellevue home May 25 after a period of
declining health. A private gathering is planned, Spiess said.
At 24, Mr. Ellison, who grew up in the Northwest and attended Seattle's
Roosevelt High School, opened his first thrift store in San Francisco's
Mission District in 1954 after earning a business degree from the
University of Washington in 1950.
His father, Benjamin, who was a Salvation Army career officer during the
Depression and managed secondhand clothing stores, helped bankroll the
store.
In 1966, Mr. Ellison opened his first store in Renton under the name
Value Village. The next year, he opened a store in Redwood City, Calif.,
under the name Thrift Village. Within five years, he had added stores in
Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle.
In 1970, with six stores in three states, he moved his family and the
company's headquarters to Bellevue, said his son, Thomas Ellison, of
Bellevue, who has headed the business since 1987.
The company opened its first Canadian store in Vancouver in 1980. It is
now a multinational corporation with thrift stores in over 220 locations
in the United States, Canada and Australia, Thomas Ellison said.
Mr. Ellison's business model was to contract with nonprofit
organizations to provide a steady stream of good, reusable, resellable
clothing and household goods. He paid them a price well above market
value for the cloth commodity, the bulk of the supply, giving the
nonprofits a steady and reliable stream of revenue.
"In a nutshell, [Mr. Ellison] believed in treating people — his vendors,
employees and customers — very well," said his son. "The culture of the
company was the Golden Rule."
In later years, Mr. Ellison was the company's board chairman before his
retirement in 2000.
Tom Ellison said his father was a Big Brothers volunteer and had a
philanthropic side.
For years, he financially aided a Pierce County couple who adopted more
than 50 children over the past 15 years. "He got involved in helping
them financially, and every year he had a tradition of shopping and
buying Christmas presents for every one of them and delivering them to
the family the day after Christmas," said his son.
Mr. Ellison also is survived by his wife, Carole; another son, Jeff
Ellison, of Maui, Hawaii, and a daughter, Debbie Bacon, of Medina; two
stepchildren, Jon and Nicole LaFollette, both of Kirkland; and eight
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Also surviving are a
brother, Dr. Herbert Ellison, of Bellevue, and a sister, Beverly Tullis
of Tampa, Fla.
The family suggests remembrances in Mr. Ellison's name to Northwest
Center, 7272 W. Marginal Way S., Seattle, WA 98108.
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