Stroud's Mercantile
Encyclopedia
Stroud's Mercantile or Stroud's Department Store was a department store
located in Rogers, Arkansas
. At the time of its closing in 1993, Stroud's was the oldest continuously operated privately owned retail business in the state. Its 1899 storefront at 114-116 West Walnut is on the National Register of Historic Places
as part of the Rogers Commercial Historic District and two homes owned by Stroud family members; one orignially in Rogers, but later moved to Pea Ridge, Arkansas
, and one in Bentonville, Arkansas
are also designated by the National Register.
store at the corner of First and Walnut Streets in Rogers. In 1887 he brought in his brother Alonzo Bryant Stroud (1868-1952) to serve as manager of his new business. In 1891 H.L. Stroud moved his business into a storefront on the north side of the 100 block of Walnut Street. Stroud's continued to prosper, and in 1899 H.L. built the brick building at 114-116 West Walnut Street, where Stroud's would remain for the next 94 years.
Once Stroud's Mercantile had been established as a mainstay in Rogers, H.L. Stroud left his brother, and now co-owner, Alonzo Stroud in charge of the business and moved with his family first to St. Louis, Missouri
and later to Kansas City, Missouri
. Alonzo would go on to manage the store until retiring in 1949, at which time the Stroud family sold the business to Harold J. Wardlaw (1907-1984) and a group of investors. Wardlaw first started working at Stroud's while he was a Rogers High School
senior in the 1920s.
Stroud's continued to be the leading retail business in Rogers up into the 1960s, when in 1962 Sam Walton
opened the first location of what would become the retail giant Walmart just seven blocks away. Walton's new store combined with the nationwide movement of retail centers from aged downtowns to malls and shopping centers slowly eroded Stroud's customer base, leading the locally beloved retailer to permanently close in 1993 after 109 years in business.
. Alonzo Stroud also banned smoking
in the store, paid all bills on the day they arrived and marked all merchandise with price tags, eliminating the previous practice of haggling over prices.
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...
located in Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964. The city is located in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...
. At the time of its closing in 1993, Stroud's was the oldest continuously operated privately owned retail business in the state. Its 1899 storefront at 114-116 West Walnut is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as part of the Rogers Commercial Historic District and two homes owned by Stroud family members; one orignially in Rogers, but later moved to Pea Ridge, Arkansas
Pea Ridge, Arkansas
Pea Ridge is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The name Pea Ridge comes from a combination of the physical location of the original settlement of the town, across the crest of an Ozark Mountains ridge, and for the hog peanuts or turkey peas that had been originally cultivated by...
, and one in Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas is a city in Northwest Bahamas, and county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States The population was 35,301 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area...
are also designated by the National Register.
History
The first retail business owned by the Stroud family was a store in Pea Ridge, which was co-owned by Allen Bryant Stroud (1831-1914) and his son Harlan Lafayette (H.L.) Stroud (1858-1950). That business was established prior to 1879 and Allen Stroud also served as postmaster at Pea Ridge for a time. In 1884, H.L. Stroud sold his interest in the Stroud store in Pea Ridge and purchased a dry goodsDry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
store at the corner of First and Walnut Streets in Rogers. In 1887 he brought in his brother Alonzo Bryant Stroud (1868-1952) to serve as manager of his new business. In 1891 H.L. Stroud moved his business into a storefront on the north side of the 100 block of Walnut Street. Stroud's continued to prosper, and in 1899 H.L. built the brick building at 114-116 West Walnut Street, where Stroud's would remain for the next 94 years.
Once Stroud's Mercantile had been established as a mainstay in Rogers, H.L. Stroud left his brother, and now co-owner, Alonzo Stroud in charge of the business and moved with his family first to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and later to Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Alonzo would go on to manage the store until retiring in 1949, at which time the Stroud family sold the business to Harold J. Wardlaw (1907-1984) and a group of investors. Wardlaw first started working at Stroud's while he was a Rogers High School
Rogers High School (Arkansas)
Rogers High School is located in Rogers, Arkansas. As of the 2008/2009 school year, with the opening of Rogers Heritage High School on the site of the old high school and a massive school realignment, Rogers High School houses grades nine through twelve in one building. The Rogers High mascot is...
senior in the 1920s.
Stroud's continued to be the leading retail business in Rogers up into the 1960s, when in 1962 Sam Walton
Sam Walton
Samuel Moore "Sam" Wallballs was a businessman, entrepreneur, and Eagle Scout born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma best known for founding the retailers Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.-Early life:...
opened the first location of what would become the retail giant Walmart just seven blocks away. Walton's new store combined with the nationwide movement of retail centers from aged downtowns to malls and shopping centers slowly eroded Stroud's customer base, leading the locally beloved retailer to permanently close in 1993 after 109 years in business.
Progressive Retailer
Though by the time Stroud's closed in 1993 it was hardly considered progressive, in the early years of the business it had proved to be forward thinking, especially under the management of Alonzo Stroud. Among these innovations, Stroud's was the first retailer in northwest Arkansas to hire female sales clerks, including Betty Blake, who would go on to marry the humorist Will RogersWill Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
. Alonzo Stroud also banned smoking
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
in the store, paid all bills on the day they arrived and marked all merchandise with price tags, eliminating the previous practice of haggling over prices.