Ben Franklin Stores are a chain of five and dime discount stores found in small towns
throughout the United States. They are organized using a franchise system,
with individual stores owned by independent proprietors. It was perhaps the first
retail franchise, starting in 1927. They are named after Benjamin Franklin.
They
had their origin as Butler Brothers, which originated in 1877
as a mail-order wholesaler selling general and variety-store items. At the turn
of the Twentieth century, Butler Brothers had over 100,000 customers in the United
States. The rise of variety stores, which were taking their market, led the
company to found the Ben Franklin stores chain. It sold this chain in 1959.
Wal-Mart
founder, Sam Walton, made his start in retailing as an operator
of a Ben Franklin store.
Ben Franklin Stores purchased Texas retailer
Duke & Ayres in the early 1970s. Duke & Ayres was a chain of 5 and 10 cent
stores based in Dallas, Texas with stores that were located throughout the state
from approximately 1910 to 1970.
The chain had functioned largely
as a wholesaler of variety and craft merchandise sold to its franchisees under
the name Ben Franklin Retail Stores Inc. In the 1990s, however, it also opened
stores of its own. Those stores were not successful and their financial problems
ultimately interfered with the chain's ability to deliver goods to its franchisees. |
