This regional discount retailer originated from a men's furnishings store known as Dan's Place, which opened for business, on June 1, 1914, in downtown New Castle, Pennsylvania. This mercantile was founded by Dan, Mike and Ed Fisher. By the 1920s, the name of the concern had been changed to Fishers.
The Fisher Brothers dedicated their first discount department stores in the late 1960s. Fisher's Big Wheel units averaged 45,000 square feet and carried lines of family apparel, shoes, health & beauty aids, domestics, jewelry, records & tapes, toys, candy, hardware, paint, housewares, small appliances, electrical, plumbing, home improvement needs, lawn & garden and sporting goods. Stores included an Auto Center.
Expansion into several Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern States had created thirty-four stores by late 1978. In January 1979, Tempo and Buckeye Mart stores, owned and operated by Minneapolis-based Gamble-Skogmo, were acquired and rebranded.
Another acquisition, in 1989, brought in previous Danner's and Heck's locations.
By this time, there were 108 stores operating as Fisher's Big Wheel and a subsidiary known as Buy Smart. These were located throughout Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Indiana, West Virginia and Rhode Island.
Competition from Wal-Mart cut into the Big Wheel customer base. Store closings were underway by December 1990 and continued into 1991. The chain entered bankruptcy proceedings in July 1993, with additional store shutterings. By March 1994, all stores had closed. Twelve locations were sold to Omaha-based Pamida ["Pam-iy-duh"] in May of the same year.
