In 1895, Brodstone moved to Chicago in search of work. There, she obtained a job as a stenographer with the Vestey Cold Storage Company, earning $12 a week. The company was owned by the Vestey Brothers of Liverpool; it had been founded at his father's behest by William Vestey in 1876, and had been run by his brother Edmund Vestey since 1882. Brodstone's competence and demeanor impressed Edmund Vestey, who made her his personal stenographer and raised her pay to $20 a week.