J.J. Newberry
Encyclopedia
J.J. Newberry's was an American
five and dime
store chain in the 20th century. It was founded in Stroudsburg
, Pennsylvania
, United States, in 1911 by John Josiah Newberry
(September 26, 1877 - March 6, 1954). J.J. Newberry had learned the variety store business by working at S.H. Kress stores for 12 years between 1899 and 1911, after having worked for department store
Fowler, Dick, and Walker for five years. There were seven stores in the chain by 1918.
The company was a family business
. J.J. Newberry was joined in management by his brothers C.T. Newberry and Edgar A. Newberry in 1919, at which time there were 17 stores with yearly sales of $500,000.
Over the years, the Newberry chain acquired other stores including Hested in Wyoming
, Missouri
, North Dakota
, Colorado
, and Nebraska
, and Lee Stores in South Dakota
, Minnesota
, and Iowa
. At the time of founder J.J. Newberry's death (1954), the chain had 475 stores. By 1961, the company operated 565 stores with total yearly sales of $291 million. The chain also operated a larger department store called Britt's Department Store.
The Newberry chain was ultimately purchased by McCrory Stores
, and then folded slowly as McCrory's downsized and eventually entered bankruptcy
. 300 stores closed in 1997, but some lingered on, with at least one closing as late as 2001.
Early J.J. Newberry stores featured a recognizable logo composed of gold serif letters on a red background that usually occupied the entire width of the store. Later stores featured a cursive 1960s modern logo style, dropping the "J.J." altogether.
Poet Donald Hall
wrote a poem, "Beans and Franks", about the closing of a J.J. Newberry store in Franklin, New Hampshire
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
five and dime
Five and Dime
Five and Dime is a cartoon short by Walter Lantz which features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It is the 74th Oswald short produced by Lantz and the 125th overall. It also is among the number of shorts that feature Oswald in his fully clothed appearance....
store chain in the 20th century. It was founded in Stroudsburg
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Poconos region of the state, approximately five miles from the Delaware Water Gap, at the confluence of the Brodhead and Pocono Creeks. It is the county seat of Monroe County. Stroudsburg is part of the...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States, in 1911 by John Josiah Newberry
John Josiah Newberry
John Josiah Newberry founded the J.J. Newberry stores.-Biography:Born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, Newberry first worked in the railroad business before joining a retail store in 1894 called Fowler, Dick and Walker. Staying in the same business, in 1899, he joined S. H. Kress & Co. where he stayed...
(September 26, 1877 - March 6, 1954). J.J. Newberry had learned the variety store business by working at S.H. Kress stores for 12 years between 1899 and 1911, after having worked for department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
Fowler, Dick, and Walker for five years. There were seven stores in the chain by 1918.
The company was a family business
Family business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
. J.J. Newberry was joined in management by his brothers C.T. Newberry and Edgar A. Newberry in 1919, at which time there were 17 stores with yearly sales of $500,000.
Over the years, the Newberry chain acquired other stores including Hested in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, and Lee Stores in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. At the time of founder J.J. Newberry's death (1954), the chain had 475 stores. By 1961, the company operated 565 stores with total yearly sales of $291 million. The chain also operated a larger department store called Britt's Department Store.
The Newberry chain was ultimately purchased by McCrory Stores
McCrory Stores
J.G. McCrory's or McCrory Stores was a chain of five and dime stores in the United States based in York, Pennsylvania. The stores typically sold shoes, clothing, housewares, fabrics, penny candy, toys, cosmetics, and often included a lunch counter or snack bar...
, and then folded slowly as McCrory's downsized and eventually entered bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. 300 stores closed in 1997, but some lingered on, with at least one closing as late as 2001.
Early J.J. Newberry stores featured a recognizable logo composed of gold serif letters on a red background that usually occupied the entire width of the store. Later stores featured a cursive 1960s modern logo style, dropping the "J.J." altogether.
Poet Donald Hall
Donald Hall
Donald Hall is an American poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2006.-Personal life:...
wrote a poem, "Beans and Franks", about the closing of a J.J. Newberry store in Franklin, New Hampshire
Franklin, New Hampshire
The median income for a household in the city was $34,613, and the median income for a family was $41,698. Males had a median income of $32,318 versus $25,062 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,155...
.