E. P. Charlton & Company, also known as E. P. Charlton Company, E. P. Charlton, or simply Charlton's was an American chain of five and ten cent stores owned by Earle Perry Charlton, which merged with several associated brands to create the F. W. Woolworth Company in 1912.
Establishment and early years
Beginning in 1890, Charlton and his partner, Seymour H. Knox, a cousin of retailer
Frank W. Woolworth
Frank Winfield Woolworth (April 13, 1852 – April 8, 1919) was an American entrepreneur, the founder of F. W. Woolworth Company, and the operator of variety stores known as "Five-and-Dimes" (5- and 10-cent stores or dime stores) which featured ...
, established a chain of stores under the name of "Knox & Charlton Five and Ten Cent Store." The chain operated as part of a syndicate established by Woolworth, allowing for friendly competition, so long as the individual owners followed Woolworth's principles. The first store opened in Fall River, Massachusetts on February 22, 1890. Between 1892 and 1895, three more locations opened, in Hartford and
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford. According to 2020 Census, the population of the city is 74,135.
Among the southernmost of the communities encompassed wit ...
, and Lowell, Massachusetts."Earle Perry Charlton: The Five and Ten pioneer of Canada and the West WoolworthsMuseum.co.uk retrieved 12 May 2015.
In 1896, the two men decided to go their separate ways, with Knox acquiring the store in Lowell, and Charlton retaining the other three. By 1899, Charlton had opened nine more stores in New England, with new locations in Hartford,
Danbury
Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut.
Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...
, and
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.Brockton, Fitchburg, Gloucester, Lawrence, and
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...
, and Lewiston, Maine. But realizing that continued expansion in New England would bring him into direct competition with other members of the Woolworth syndicate, Charlton sold his new stores to Frank Woolworth, using the capital to finance the opening of several stores in Canada.
Expansion in Canada and the west
Over the next several years, Charlton opened three stores in Montreal and one in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, followed by eight more west of the Rocky Mountains, which featured an expanded pricing scheme, of five, ten, and fifteen cent items. Beginning in 1905, Charlton opened stores in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and four more locations in California, as well as in Tacoma, Washington, and Sherbrooke, Quebec.
In 1908, Charlton's headquarters moved to a new building on South Main Street in Fall River, near the location of the original store. Dubbed the "Charlton Block," the new store was lit by electric lights, and featured mahogany counters like those favored by Knox and Woolworth. The chain continued to expand in the west, with stores in Salt Lake City and
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...
, and
Butte, Montana
Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...
. Goods were supplied by Woolworth, and sold well due to the low, fixed pricing. By 1911, the top earning store was the South Broadway location in Los Angeles, earning $370,000 ''per annum'', while six other stores earned over $150,000.
Consolidation with Woolworth
By 1912, E. P. Charlton & Company operated fifty-eight stores throughout the United States and Canada. That year, Frank Woolworth persuaded the other members of his syndicate to consolidate as the F. W. Woolworth Company. Frank, who owned more stores than the other five members combined, became president of the new company, while the others became directors and vice presidents. S. H. Knox & Co. contributed ninety-eight stores in the United States, and thirteen in Canada; Fred M. Kirby, who had been a business partner of Woolworth's since the 1880s, had ninety-six; Frank's brother, Charles Sumner Woolworth, had fifteen stores; while William Moore, whose stores had given Frank and Charles their start in retail, contributed two. Charlton's western holdings gave F. W. Woolworth a nationwide reach in both the United States and Canada. He became a senior vice president, and earned $6,500,000 from the merger.
With the consolidation of the six brands under the Woolworth name, F. W. Woolworth & Company operated five hundred and ninety-six stores, with its headquarters at the newly constructed Woolworth Building in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. The company prospered for most of the twentieth century, before increased competition in the discount retail market caused it to focus on specialty brands. Woolworth's-branded stores were closed throughout the 1990s, while the company focused on athletic apparel, and particularly its Foot Locker brand. The last Woolworth stores were closed in 1997, as the company changed its name, first to ''Venator'', then ''Foot Locker, Inc.''
Legacy
Although the E. P. Charlton brand disappeared from retail after the creation of F. W. Woolworth & Company, the Fall River Woolworth's maintained its prominent storefront "E. P. Charlton Company" signage until 1970. Earle Charlton devoted his time and energy to the Charlton Mill, a factory he had built at Fall River in 1909, and which operated until the 1950s. Charlton died in 1930, leaving a considerable amount to the Charlton Trust, which benefited local charities in the Fall River area; today he is commemorated by the Charlton Memorial Hospital.