Lilli Moffit was born in Germany and raised in Iowa. In the 1990s, she and her husband, Bill, moved to Reno, where he worked for Sierra Pacific (now Nevada Energy). In 1998, the Moffits bought and renovated a former Chinese restaurant at 1229 East 4th Street and opened Reno Rails, a model train store. Lilli continued to operate the business after her husband passed away in 2010. Photo by Patrick Cummings
Full Oral History TranscriptLilli Moffit, who founded Reno Rails with her husband, Bill, discusses the effort it took to renovate their building before opening for business. Recorded by Bethany Underhill.
Lilli Moffit, owner of Reno Rails, counters common misperceptions of East 4th Street, explaining that unique businesses will be sought out by customers, no matter their location. Recorded by Bethany Underhill.
In 1958, Marilyn Marston moved from the Bay Area to Reno, where she met her future husband, photographer and artist Art Marston. He founded Art Marston Printing, renting office space until 1974, when the Marstons purchased the old Zellerbach Paper Company building at 420 Valley Road. After Art’s passing in 1986, Marilyn sold the business to Valley Print and Mail, where she worked for ten years. Since 2001, she has rented the building to a series of tenants. She also speaks of her involvement with the Reno-Sparks Business Corridor Association.
View All
John Feroah grew up in Reno, where his father worked for the Reno Police Department. After high school, John joined the Air Guard and worked briefly for the City of Reno. In 1969, he joined the Reno Police Department, part-time, while working security for the Cal-Neva. In 1971, he began to work for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, retiring in 2003. He has since worked for the Reno Police Department Reserve and the University of Nevada Police Department.
View All
Ed Scalzo and his wife, Susan, own Forever Yours Fine Furniture, located in the historic Flanigan Warehouse building at 701 East Fourth Street. They started the business in 1976 in Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe, moving to an old Ford dealership building on Virginia and Fourth Streets in Reno in 1980. Around 1982 they began to lease the historic IXL Laundry building at 601 East Fourth Street, operating there until 1998, when they purchased the Flanigan building.
View All
