The Lonely Death of a Local Restaurateur
Louis Marri, owner of the Maison Riche, was found dead in his room after expressing despair over his failing business.
Weary of an uphill struggle and thoroughly disheartened by the prospect of business failure, Louis Marri, proprietor of the Maison Riche on Second and James street, passed away in his room on Monday. Whether he took his own life or died of natural causes remains a mystery, though remarks made by Marri within a few days of his death suggest despair. He had been feeling unwell and was discouraged by a falling off of custom in his restaurant. On Monday, he went to his place of business, drank liquor, and eventually went home to his room. When his bookkeeper, O.B. Bertoldo, checked on him the next day, he found Marri dead in bed. The body showed no signs of a struggle. Marri was born in Switzerland about forty years ago, and aside from his cousin, George Ferrari, he had no family in the country. Coroner Horton took possession of the restaurant and will manage it until an administrator is appointed.
“Weary of an uphill struggle and thoroughly disheartened by the prospect of business failure.”
Small business precarity is a recurring theme in Seattle’s history. Marri’s struggle in 1894 to maintain a downtown restaurant amid economic hardship echoes the persistent challenges faced by today’s independent business owners in rapidly shifting, expensive urban districts.
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