G. C. Murphy

In 1906, two years after selling his first chain of five and dime stores to F. W. Woolworth Co., George Clinton Murphy (1868-1909) founded the G. C. Murphy 5 & 10 store with the first one being built in McKeesport, PA. Between 1906 and his death in 1909 he had built the chain to 12 stores. He had gotten his start in retail as a manager of a McCrory’s store in 1896.  After his death two former McCrory’s executives, John Sephus Mack  and Walter C. Shaw bought the G. C. Murphy chain. By 1932 they had expanded to 173 stores and eventually to 448 by 1976.  The McCrory’s bought interest in a failing chain of stores. Because of this decision they had to file for bankruptcy in 1992. They closed many of their stores (including former G. C. Murphy stores) and ceased operations completely in 2002. (Wikipedia.com)

G. C. Murphy Co., opened in Princeton in 1929.  At the time it was the largest store in Princeton and one of the largest in West Virginia. The store was three stories with the first two floors for merchandise. The stock room was on the third floor. The store was located at 905-907 Mercer Street. It was stocked with thousands of different items of merchandise and the stock was turned over about six times annually. 

When the author was a small girl, growing up poor on Athens Star Route, her father worked for Andy Clark’s Ford Motor Company, located beside the Princeton Courthouse. Every Saturday she and her mom would catch the bus and ride to her dad’s job. One of her dad’s co-workers, Pappy Jones, would give her a quarter or fifty cents. She thought she was rich. When her dad got off work at noon he would stop at G. C. Murphy’s. She could buy anything she wanted with her precious money. Oh, what a magical place with so many things costing 5 or 10 cents, balls, dolls, jack rocks, the decision each Saturday was so hard.  She remembers wanting to shop for hours.

Others remember the store as just being exciting. Henry Friedl’s favorite section when he was a little older was the records department. He still has one he purchased and will occasionally play it to this day. Garland Elmore remembers visiting the section where they sold small animals. They both remember the smell of the peanuts that were being roasted on the second floor of the store.

Mary Feuchtenberger wrote in her book, Groundhog Day in West Virginia, “G.C. Murphy was the favorite retail store. I never was able to purchase much, but it was fun to look.” 

“And successful business owners would be wise to remember G.C. Murphy Co.’s fundamentals of doing business, laid out by J.S. Mack and W.C. Shaw in the 1920s: 'Have what the people want, let them know you have it, and organize to serve them quickly, courteously and satisfactorily.'” (murphymemories.com)