Born in a small town outside of Venice, 16 year old Antonio Pasin (pictured above) dreamed of a new beginning in America. His family sold their mule to help pay for his voyage, and before long, Pasin made his way to Chicago where he looked for work as a cabinet-maker. Though he was a skilled craftsman like his father and grandfather before him, Pasin had little success finding work, and eventually became a water boy for a sewer digging crew.

He made his way through several jobs, and by 1917 had saved enough money to purchase some used wood working equipment and rented a one-room workshop. In this workshop, Pasin began fashioning wagons by night and selling them during the day.