“I love to wait upon the Saints, and be a servant to all hoping that I may be exalted in the due time of the Lord.” — Joseph Smith¹

Joseph Smith opened his Red Brick Store in Nauvoo on January 5, 1842, where he enjoyed serving the Saints and interacting with the community. The upper room of the store became a significant meeting place for various church activities. On March 17, 1842, Emma Smith and 19 other women, including prominent figures like Sarah Kimball and Eliza Snow, gathered in the store to organize the Relief Society. In the store, portions of the Book of Abraham were translated, Council of Fifty meetings were held, the Masonic Lodge met for a time, and members of the Anointed Quorum held prayer meetings.² Most importantly, the store's upper room also hosted the first endowment ceremony, which had a mural of a garden painted on one of the walls of the room. It was on May 4, 1842, where Joseph introduced this sacred ordinance to key church leaders, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball.³

1. Joseph Smith Letter to Edward Hunter, January 5, 1842

2. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/place/store-jss-store-nauvoo-illinois

3. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 37: We Will Prove Them