Ellett Brothers’ announced closing hit Chapin and more than 170 employees hard.

It wasn’t a good day for the Ellett family.

Sherri Ellett Martin, daughter of Chilt Ellett, founder of Ellet Brothers, sat down with me and family mementos and letters documenting the humble beginnings of “Ellett’s Fishing Club.”

In February of 1932, Chilton Ellett Sr., bought land on Lake Murray.

He described it as picturesque with long-leaf pines, dogwoods, holly trees, cedars, grapes and lots of poison ivy.

He opened an old logging road and went to work clearing land, drilling a well and building a home, floating boathouse and boat filling station on the lake.

He even had quarters for the night watchmen who worked 3rd shift at the floating boat ramp.

Ellett built a marine railroad to pull boats out of the lake to be dry-docked with a carriage and hoisting machines.

The kitchen contained tobacco, beer, sodas and ice and “the best-stocked tackle in the state,” Ellett wrote in a 1933 letter.

“We are wholesale jobbers for every manufacturer in the country.”

When they opened in July of 1932, the demand for sleeping quarters prompted him to build 5 cottages along with a metal and stone public stove. He mentions having numerous campsites for those coming to enjoy the beautiful lake and woodlands.

Ellett bragged about his “waterworks plant” built for several houses.

Indoor plumbing in 1933 was a great asset to his fast-growing business.

He mentioned he was farming with sharecroppers. In addition to hogs, chickens and ducks, he wanted to add geese and turkeys.

In a letter to his brother, he wrote he had 50 lockers on the 85-foot dock, and all were occupied and over 100 boats docked “all under my charge.”

Chilt was proud that he didn’t borrow any money to start his business. In the letter, he talked about building a swimming pool but admitted he didn’t know how.

The business eventually transformed from selling bait and tackle to guns and gun accessories.

Ellet Brothers moved into Chapin next to the railroad, and then into their current building.

Chilt Ellett Jr. and his wife Dottie took the family business to new levels of success.

“Chilt’s Chicks from Chap-in” received 320+ hours of training to expand the company through phone sales. They knew everything about the guns they sold, even how to shoot them.

Ellett would have picnics so families could enjoy fellowship, relax and practice shooting. They were caring bosses who closed the business a week each summer for their employees’ vacations.

Ellett, ahead of his time, started a weekly microfiche program for customers with a complete inventory and sales for that week.

It started in 1933 with $250 of merchandise in a 32 square foot store.

By 2012, they were selling $1 billion.

New owners filed for bankruptcy protection this year.

According to a lawsuit lender Prospect Capital Corp. filed against Ellett’s owner, Wellspring Capital Management, hundreds of millions of dollars borrowed to keep the company going were diverted into executives’ and investors’ pockets.

Sherri, Chilt Jr.’s daughter said, “The Ellett Brothers family has always been a part of our family. We hold each of them close to our hearts. We are saddened and heartbroken for all of them.

“We ask the Chapin community to keep the Ellett Brother’s family and each of their employee’s families in their prayers.”

Ellett Brothers started with honesty, hard work and out of the box thinking. It will end this month.