MALL HALL OF FAME

DUCKWALL'S - ALCO

Duckwall's stores originated -in Abilene, Kansas- on May 10, 1901, when Alva Lease Duckwall bought an existing Racket Store. In 1906, a second Duckwall's Racket Store opened in Salina, Kansas. The endeavor was incorporated, as Duckwall Brothers Racket Stores, in 1915, with a corporate headquarters being established in Abilene.

The expanding retail chain targeted rural Midwestern communities that had few previous shopping options. The strategy proved successful and saw the company grow exponentially. In 1915, there were nine Duckwall's stores. By 1921 there were thirteen.

The Duckwall's enterprise expanded, even while the national economy stagnated during The Great Depression. By 1937, there were forty-two Duckwall's stores in Kansas and Colorado. The total in 1951 was forty-eight and eighty-five in 1961. By this time, operations had been extended into Texas and New Mexico.

A discount mart division, known as ALCO, was formed in 1968. By the end of the decade, the Duckwall-ALCO conglomerate was operating 103 stores. A period of acquisition, between 1983 and 1985, added ALCO stores previously operated as Sterling, Magic Mart, David's and Hornsby's.

This rapid growth brought ALCO into direct competition with Arkansas-based Wal-Mart. By 1989, Duckwall-ALCO was bankrupt. After emerging from its financial difficulties intact, the company went public in 1991 and was soon showing a profit. Stores previously operated as Val and Perry Brothers were brought under the ALCO brand.

In January 2011, forty-four remaining Duckwall's variety stores were shuttered. The ALCO division survived, with 214 stores operating in twenty-three states. The Duckwall's name was dropped from the corporate moniker. The headquarters moved, from Abilene, Kansas to Coppell, Texas, in April 2013. However, the shrinking American middle class and competition from WalMart resulted in the bankruptcy of ALCO Stores, Incorporated. The final units were shuttered in March 2015.

DUCKWALL'S - ALCO JUNIOR-ANCHORED SHOPPING MALLS:

*BEAR VALLEY MALL, Denver, CO (1965) [Duckwall's]

*SUGARLAND MALL, Hereford, TX (1966) [Duckwall's]

*CITY MALL, Russelville, AR (1983) [ALCO]

*VALLEYGREEN SQUARE MALL, Le Sueur, MN (2004) [ALCO]

The Duckwall's chain evolved from an Abilene, Kansas store called The Racket. It re-opened -under the management of Alvah Lease Duckwall- on May 10, 1901. By the time of this 1903 advert, the endeavor was officially known as Duckwall Brothers.

Advert from the A.L. Duckwall Stores Company

The Duckwall Brothers Racket Store -in Manhattan, Kansas- is seen in this 1909 image. The slogan of the fledgling chain is "A Little Bit of Everything."

Photo from http://www.kshs.org / David Haury

The founder of all things Duckwall, Alvah Lease Duckwall (1877 to 1937). He hailed from Batavia, Ohio and moved to Kansas in 1898. 2 years later, he bought a variety store. His brother Wilbur was soon brought into the business.

Photo from Wikipedia

This Duckwall's trademark was in use by the early 1930s and was still promoting the company in the 1960s.

Graphic from the A.L. Duckwall Stores Company

The standard-issue Duckwall's 5 & 10. This store was located in Brush, Colorado.

Photo from Wikipedia / L.T. Hanlon

Duckwall's launched their large-format, discount department store chain in the late 1960s. It was known as Alco.

Graphic from Duckwall-ALCO Stores

The first Alco unit was built in Newton, Kansas. As one might notice, the Newton store was in the process of going out of business when this snapshot was taken. The variety store end of the Duckwall-ALCO corporation folded in January 2011. The final Alco stores went dark in March 2015.

Photo from "BuickStyle232"

WALTON'S

Samuel Moore Walton began his retail career working as a manager for J.C. Penney. Following service in WWII, he returned to Arkansas and bought a Ben Franklin Store franchise. When the lease on said store was not renewed, he decided to open his own line of Walton's 5 & 10s. The first store opened for business on May 9, 1950, in Bentonville, Arkansas. The rest is history...