Nello Grassi, owner of Grassi Brothers Used Cars, and his band. Nello was a member of the Progressive Italian-American lodge and a respected Tacoma businessman.
1943-Tacoma News Tribune
Oh, and that Towing business they had. Tow truck drivers should always be prepared for confrontations…
1944-Tacoma News Tribune
1941 – Tacoma Times
The brothers started business as a car repair garage at S. 9th & Tacoma Avenue, which is now a building housing a bail bonds company, across the street from a McDonald’s restaurant, and is kitty-corner from the Tacoma Courthouse.
The garage would re-locate to 1007 S. J St. Following a fire which damaged the building at 9th & Tacoma Ave.
This is how it looked in 1942 at their new location…
This advertisement tracks some of the growth of the business the brothers had in Tacoma.
Dabbling in the restaurant business dates back to 1947, when Nello along with Tacoma businessman Sam Santo, had opened a small sports bar in downtown Tacoma. They sold that off in 1949. PIZZA CASA – Nello and his wife managed their own pizza restaurant at 12924 Pac Hwy S in Ponders Corners/Lakewood — this was opened in 1958 and the family kept it running for over 30 years. The place did big business becoming a popular dining spot in the days when businesses at Ponders Corners were doing well. As time went on, the neighborhood went to pot but the Pizza Casa remained a favorite of many, sticking to fresh ingredients and Mother Pia Grassi’s spaghetti sauce recipe, even decades later. The decor was dated and resembled more of an old diner rather than a romantic Italian restaurant.
1960- Pizza casa ad 
(June 1963) Another altercation between a member of the family and a theif…
The Grassi brothers had seperated the business in the early 1960s, with Julio Grassi starting his own dealership. There were complications…
Just in passing, we see this- from April 1975
Nello Grassi passed in 1986 at the age of 71. During his lifetime, he was a supporter and participant, sometimes chairing, fundraisers and other community organizations along with fellow businessmen.
