Mr. Marconi is an Italian American man who owns the cigar store where Elwood works before going to Nickel Academy. During World War II, Mr. Marconi opened his cigar store in the African American part of town, which was near an army base. Knowing that African American soldiers liked to come and “raise hell in Frenchtown” on the weekends, he sold tobacco and condoms, demonstrating that “a white man savvy to the economics of segregation could turn a real buck.” When the war ended, though, he focused on selling magazines, candy, and soda, turning the store into a family-friendly establishment. An even-tempered man, Mr. Marconi doesn’t actually need help running his shop, but he hires Elwood because his wife likes the idea of her husband having an employee. In addition, he likes Elwood, who comes into the store on a regular basis to read the comic books. Shortly after hiring Elwood, Mr. Marconi sees that he made a good decision, since the young man is devoted to making sure the store runs efficiently. However, he and Elwood have slightly different approaches to how to manage the shop, since Mr. Marconi is such a laidback proprietor, whereas Elwood is detail-oriented and strongly principled. This difference comes to the forefront of the novel when Elwood sees two neighborhood boys steal candy from the shop and tells them to give it back. Mr. Marconi believes it’s best to ignore such incidents, since he thinks doing so would ultimately drive down business, but Elwood refuses to let his peers make a mockery of the store. All the same, Mr. Marconi makes no attempt to punish the thieves. Mr. Marconi later helps Elwood’s grandmother hire a lawyer to get Elwood out of Nickel Academy, but he’s ultimately unable to help him.
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