(Just left my local bookstore with a tale to share.)

It is not hard for me to find over $100 worth of books to buy at my local bookstore and today was no different; a newly released business book, a Richard Feynman bio, a couple of magazines, several travel books, and a collection of Faulkner short novels that I should have read back in college.

Like I said it is easy for me to spend money in a bookstore.  What is not so easy for me is to stop looking and to leave the store before I go broke.  But today I found the strength to stop looking and to leave the store.

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I was in a favorite cooking store today looking at all sorts of things that I did not need but some how felt I could not live without.  It is part of the attraction of this store.  While there, I had the opportunity to listened in on a conversation between a customer and a salesperson about cookware.  As they approached the fixture the customer said, “This is the type of Calphalon I use” mispronouncing the brand in the process.

“It’s Calphalon” the employee stated rather emphatically while using the common pronunciation.  I was a bit stunned by the strong correction coming from the clerk and anyone could see the annoyance on the customer’s face at being corrected.  I thought to myself that the clerk did not need to correct the customers pronunciation and the correction did not move the service forward.

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Woolworth Building
by Hugh Ferriss
Source WikiCommons

On April 24th, 1913, the Woolworth Building opens in New York City.

Designed in 1910 by renowned architect, Cass Gilbert, the building headquartered the F.W. Woolworth, a pioneer five and dime store, for 85 years.  This neo-Gothic building was originally planned to be only 20 stories tall.  But by its opening, the building had been expanded to 60 stories and was the tallest building in the world from 1913 until 1930.

Having enjoyed success selling hoops skirts for 11 years, brothers Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale decided to open their own shop.  On April 17th, 1872, Bloomingdale’s opens their Great East Side Bazaar on East 56th Street in NYC.

J.C. Penney Mother Store
Kemmerer, WY
Wiki Commons Bend00

James Cash Penney opens his store on April 14th, 1902 in Kemmerer WY.

James starts his retail career in 1898 when he went to work for Guy Johnson and Thomas Callahan in their Golden Rule stores.  When an opportunity to open a new store in Kemmerer came up, the partners offer him a share in the business and the chance to run his own store.  In 1907, Penney buys out the other partners.

Penney enjoys steady growth and success. In 1912, he has 34 stores.  In 1917, he operates 175 stores in 22 states.  Big Mac work clothes, Penney’s oldest private brand, was launched in 1922.  The 500th store was opens in 1924 and the 1000th in 1928.  By 1941, Penney operated 1600 stores in all 48 states.

Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, works for the company in 1940.  They issue their first charge card in 1959.  James Cash is involved with the company until 1971  when he passed away at the age of 95.  At its height in 1973, J.C.Penney has over 2000 stores.