[1] Aged 14 Wessel was apprenticed to L. J. Baagøe, who operated a substantial linnen and drapery business in association with a grocery shop in Svendborg.

[3] On completing his apprenticeship in 1864, Wessel was employed as a travelling salesman by M. E. Grøn & Søn in Copenhagen.

When he shortly thereafter met Emil Vett on a random visit to Aarhus, the two businessmen decided to join forces, on 14 April 1868 starting a small linnen and drapery business under the name Emil Vett & Co.. Vett was in the beginning responsible for the daily operations while Wessel for the first few years was employed as a travelling purchaser for I. H. Ruben in Copenhagen, but with a right also to act on behalf of his own venture on his journeys abroad.

Wessel & Co. relocated from Østergade to Hotel du Nord's building on Kongens Nytorv and the name was at the same time changed to De forenede Hvidevare Forretninger ved Th.

On 4 January 1879, Magasin du Nord was introduced as the brand name of all their retail outlets across the country.

Wessel & Vett also constructed its own textile factory in Landskronagade while seamstress floors and other workshops were established both in-house and in other locations across Copenhagen.

Wessel is one of the men seen in Peder Severin Krøyer's monumental 1895 oil on canvas group portrait painting From Copenhagen Stock Exchange (Børsen).

Krøyer also painted a study of the detail with Wessel and Vatt in 1893 (Magasin du Nord).