The Real Story of Minky's Bicycle Shops in Chicago.

Seymour (Shim) Nimerov (born in 1917) opened "Minky's Hobby & Sports Store," at 3330-32 West Roosevelt Road in 1938. His parents owned the large apartment building with retail stores on the ground floor including Minky's. Shim incorporated his business as "Seymour Nimerov and Company," but did business as (dba) "Minky's Hobby and Sports Store."

Milton (Minky) Nimerov (born in 1915) was Shim's older brother who 'pushed' the name of "Minky's" on Shim claiming Minky's was a catchy name and would be easily remembered. Shim obviously thought so too. Besides bicycles, they sold sporting goods, hobby and crafts merchandise, toys, and were a Lionel train dealer.  

Oil painting of Minky's Hobby & Sports Store at 3330-32 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago.
Sent to me by Shim's Granddaughter, Denise Kase-Nabat.

Shim was the business owner, Minky took care of new bicycle assembly and mechanical repairs, and Charley Nimerov assisted Shim in the sales and management of the Roosevelt Road store.

Minky's Hobby & Sports Store, 3330-32 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, Illinois

You could rent a bicycle for 25¢ per day from Minky's.

Left to right: Unknown, Minky, Shim, and brother Charley (who helped Minky run the Roosevelt Road store).

Shim advertised to purchase stamps collections.

Chicago Tribune, January 16, 1944.

Shim opened a second Minky's Bicycles & Toy Store at 2840 West Devon Avenue around 1954.

Minky's Bicycles, 2840 West Devon Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

My sister and I bought our Matchbox cars from the Devon Avenue store, which Shim always had the newest models in stock, and would order any available Matchbox car models for customers. Minky's store had a large variety of kid pranks, i.e. whoopie-cushions, fake vomit, hand-buzzards, etc., and sold Spalding "Pinkie" high-bounce balls mostly used to play the game called "Pinners."

Chicago Tribune Ad, February 24, 1958.

Bicycles were shipped in boxes and assembled at the dealerships. Many bike shops around the country had their own head badges and would replace the manufacturer's head badges with their own.

Chicago Tribune Ad, May 29, 1958.

Minky's on Roosevelt Road was burned to the ground during the Chicago riots in 1968. On April 5, 1968, violence sparked because of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination on the West side of Chicago, gradually expanding to consume a 28-block stretch of West Madison Street and leading to additional fire damage on Roosevelt Road. The riot was finally contained on April 7, 1968.

Chicago Tribune Ad, June 9, 1968

Chicago Tribune Ad October 7, 1972.

Proof to debunk that Minky owned the Minky's Bicycle shops. Shim thought 'Minky' had a memorable 'ring' to it. Eve Nimerov Obituary, Seymour's Wife.
Chicago Tribune, October 6, 1997.

Minky's Devon Avenue store was closed when Shim died in 1983. Seymour Nimerov is buried at Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.

Milton Nimerov died 26 years after his brother Seymour. Wouldn't you think that if Minky really owned the Bicycle shop, it would have remained open for some time longer? 

Copyright © 2020 Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

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Minky's son, David Nimerov has maliciously lied about his dad, Milton Nimerov, being the owner of Minky's and has done so for years, as he must have thought there was no proof of ownership still in existence. 

After talking with Shim's family members, I did in-depth research to find out the truth.

During my written conversations with David Nimerov, he made these statements: "My Dad [Milton] Minky [Nimerov] was the owner. Shim was his younger brother and the salesperson." "There’s a reason the stores were named Minky’s Bicycles." "If I recall, my dad gave Eve (Shim's wife) $3,000 to walk away."

I don't know why he felt it necessary to propagate these lies for so many years. Perhaps just to be spiteful towards Shim's family. David's claiming Minky was the owner is like a person claiming to have served in the military but never did.  "Stolen Valor!"  A crime.

Both Seymour and Milton served honorably in WWII and I have a copy of both draft cards with service release stamps.

My Dad knew Shim and Minky from High School. We lived at Mozart and Arthur, one block north of Minky's on Devon. My Sister and I bought a lot more than we should have, of Matchbox Cars. 

I ousted David to set the record straight. David is still lying and it's just plain wrong. It's hurtful to his own family that I had personal contact with. In Yiddish, David is a Schmuck!

Seymour Nimerov's immediate family preapproved and condoned the information I wrote in the above note before I made this article public.

1893 World's Columbian Exposition - Intramural Railway.

The Intramural Railway carried without serious hitch or accident nearly 6,000,000 passengers during the term of the Exposition. This is an elevated structure, the motive power of which is electricity. Its length, from end to end, is three and one-eighth miles, and its track is double all the way.

There are ten stations at convenient points. The road begins with a loop that encircles the Indian School. It runs southeast, circling the Anthropological Building, and then turns northwest. Passing between the colonnade and the Stock Pavilion, the road skirts the south side of the Machinery Building and Annex and then turns northward past its west end. It next crosses over the Perron of the Terminal Station roof, where the connection is made with all out-of-town railways.

The next station is on the roof of the Annex to the Transportation Building, called Chicago Junction. Here the connection is made on a level with the trains of the Elevated Railway, which run to the city. From here, turning to the western edge of the grounds, the road extends directly north to the northwest corner, passing Midway Plaisance, the California Building, and through the Esquimaux Village.

Here a turn is made east along the north fence. Upon reaching the Iowa Building, a curving course, among some other State structures, carries the tracks between the French  Building and the East Annex to the Art Gallery, through the Foreign Buildings, and past the Fisheries Building. Its terminus here is at the United States Government Building, where it makes a loop over the lagoon's waters and turns back on its course to retrace its way on the other track to the starting point.

CLICK THE MAP FOR A FULL-SIZE VIEW

The road is unique and substantial in construction and, in all its details, is a triumph of electrical engineering. Its use is indispensable to visitors who want to see the great Exposition quickly and comfortably. Each train makes the round trip in thirty-five minutes, attaining a speed of twenty to thirty miles per hour between stations.

From ten to fifteen trains are in operation every hour. Injury to passengers by accident has never occurred. The trains cannot be derailed, and the block signal system makes collisions impossible. One fare of ten cents entitles the passenger to transportation to either terminus of the road from the station where the train is taken. The Intramural Railway is one of the greatest exhibits of the Exposition. The enormous dynamo, or electrical generator, which furnishes the power for operating the road, is the world's largest machine of its kind and the largest piece of machinery on exhibition at the Fair. It supplies three thousand horse-power; it costs $100,000 ($2,880,750 today) and weighs 192 tons. It was on display in the powerhouse of the road near the Forestry Building.

Chicago's elevated tracks were the right choice, as subways were too expensive to consider. The first 'L' train (then Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad) was built in 1892, and its inaugural journey took place on June 6, 1892, spanning 3.6 miles in 14 minutes. Until then, the 'L' was just an ordinary steam-powered train on raised tracks.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.