Brothers Vasily Nikanorovich and Ivan Nikanorovich Rysin were merchants of the 2nd guild in Tsaritsyn on the Volga. They ran a general store trading in furniture, church vessels, chandeliers, tableware, jewelry, and watches.
They expanded their business in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Rysin Trading House is mentioned in guidebooks to Volga towns published by the well-known steamship company "Samolet"; the guidebook authors recommended that travelers be sure to stop by the Rysins' shop. The brothers served as members of the Tsaritsyn City Duma, engaged in charitable activities, and built several buildings in the city, among which the house they lived in has survived to this day.
The Rysin brothers' charity took various forms. On February 15, 1899, the Tsaritsyn City Duma allowed Vasily Rysin to open an inexpensive teahouse and canteen for the poor in the city night shelter building.
In the teahouse-canteen for the poor of the trading house "Br. Rysin" there circulated monetary substitutes in the form of coin-like tokens of a few kopecks. Charitable societies bought them from the trading house and handed them out to those in need. This kind of support for the poor, who often abused alcohol, ensured that the aid could be used only at the canteen.
Prices at the teahouse-canteen: A piece of herring — 1 kopek, mustard free of charge; A serving of tea — 5 kopecks; Snacks — 10 kopecks; Borscht soup — 10 kopecks; Roast — from 10 to 15 kopecks.