611 Harden Street
Groucho's Delicatessen
Groucho's Delicatessen was founded in 1940 by Harold C. "Groucho" Miller (1899 - 1974). Miller was born in Connecticut to Issac and Rose Miller, who immigrated from Russia. Miller, his wife, Ethel Luberoff Miller (1903 - 1994), and three children, Donald, Ivan and Arlene, moved to Columbia around 1939. He then purchased Rivkin's Delicatessen, located at 1014 Lady Street, and named it "Miller's Delicatessen and Sandwich Shop." By the following year, the deli was known as "Groucho's," due to Miller's likeness to the famed comedian Groucho Marx. In 1942, Miller moved the deli to 1705 Main Street. In 1947, Miller and his nephew, George Stein, purchased the Rivkin family's other delicatessen at 618 Harden Street. Faye was a young bride who quickly became close with her mother-in-law.
In 1967, Groucho's moved across the street to 611 Harden Street. The following year, Ivan joined the business full time, and he and Faye worked there together for 28 years. Today, Ivan's wife, Fay, and son, Bruce Miller, runs the business, which is now a franchise with 32 locations in North and South Carolina.
