Shown here is the radio repair shop of John B. Patrizi, 115 West Sherman Avenue, Newark, NY.  The small but efficient shop seems to be in Patrizi’s home, and he sent the picture to the National Radio Institute (NRI) to report his success.

According to the 1940  census, Patrizi was born in about 1900 in Italy.  According to his letter to NRI, he had been working on WPA projects for two years and didn’t know how to get out of that kind of work.  But one day, he saw one of NRI’s ubiquitous magazine ads and decided to take a chance by signing up for the course.  After just the eighth lesson, he was already getting some work from friends, and poured every penny of those earnings into parts and equipment for his shop.  By 1943, he was making $65-80 per week.  He was getting business from towns as far as 25 miles away.

He credited his wife (according to the census, Amelia D. Patrizi, with much of his success, including taking phone calls, bookkeeping, and sales.  The photo and letter appeared in the April-May 1943 issue of National Radio News.