20 Family Businesses People Recall from the 60s

The 1960s were the golden age of family businesses that didn’t need venture capital or a Series A round to survive.

These weren’t billion-dollar unicorns built in garages with pizza and Red Bull.

They were actual families selling actual products to actual neighbors who paid with actual cash.

Your parents probably shopped at half of these places before algorithms decided what you needed to buy.

1. Walmart, Arkansas

Sam Walton opened the first Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas in 1962 with a simple idea: offer lower prices while maintaining good service.

His competitors thought this strategy would never work. But Walmart became a retail giant that transformed shopping across America.

When Sam Walton died in 1992, he left 50 percent of the company to his wife and children. The Walton family still manages these shares through Walton Enterprises today.

2. Howard Johnson’s, Massachusetts

Howard Deering Johnson started serving ice cream from a secret recipe in 1925, building it into a restaurant empire.

By the 1960s, those bright orange roofs dotted highways across America. The chain was famous for 28 flavors of ice cream and consistent family-friendly meals.

In 1959, Howard passed control to his 26-year-old son, Howard Brennan Johnson. By 1961, the company had 605 restaurants and 88 motor lodges across 32 states.

3. Kmart, Michigan

S.S. Kresge built a five-and-dime empire that needed to adapt when discount stores emerged in the 1950s.

Company president Harry Cunningham led the response in 1962 with the first Kmart in Garden City, Michigan. The discount department store format was an instant hit.

By 1966, there were 162 Kmarts nationwide. Workers affectionately called founder Sebastian Kresge “S.S.” throughout his long career.

4. A&P Grocery Stores, New York

George Gilman founded the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in 1859, starting with tea and coffee stores in New York City.

The Hartford brothers ran the business through the 1960s, operating thousands of supermarkets nationwide. A&P was America’s largest grocery chain for decades.

The company made its own Ann Page and Quaker Maid products in factories across the country. They even owned salmon canneries in Alaska.

5. JCPenney, Wyoming

James Cash Penney founded his first store in 1902 as part of the Golden Rule chain, then incorporated under his own name in 1913.

The 1960s marked major expansion as JCPenney shifted from downtown locations to shopping malls. In 1961, they opened their first full-line department store at Black Horse Pike Center in New Jersey.

The company expanded to Alaska in 1962, Hawaii in 1966, and Puerto Rico in 1968. Each store offered everything a middle-class family needed.

6. Woolworth’s Five and Dime, New York

F.W. Woolworth pioneered the five-and-dime concept that became a fixture in every American downtown.

The lunch counters became gathering places where communities met. The Greensboro, North Carolina location became famous as the site of 1960 civil rights sit-ins.

In 1962, Woolworth evolved the concept into larger discount stores. The red-and-gold signs were as familiar as Main Street itself.

7. Sears, Roebuck and Company, Illinois

Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck founded their mail-order business in 1892, going public in 1906 with a $40 million stock placement.

The 1960s saw Sears at its peak, with buyers and support staff managing everything from fashion to appliances. Families relied on the famous Sears catalog for everything.

The company operated its own testing labs and fashion merchandising centers. Their brands like Kenmore and Craftsman became household names.

8. Mars Candy, Virginia

Frank C. Mars opened a homemade candy shop in his Washington home in 1911.

After the Milky Way bar launched in 1923, consumers went crazy and Mars hired a full-time staff. The Mars family kept tight control of the business through the 1960s.

By the 60s, Mars had become a candy empire with Snickers, M&Ms, and other favorites. The family never took the company public.

9. Gimbels Department Store, Indiana

Adam Gimbel, a Bavarian Jewish immigrant, opened his first general store in Vincennes, Indiana in 1842.

His seven sons helped expand the business to Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and New York City. By the 1960s, Gimbels was Macy’s primary rival in Herald Square.

The family famously sponsored Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day parade in 1920, four years before Macy’s copied the idea. The store even appeared in the classic movie Miracle on 34th Street.

10. Comcast, Pennsylvania

Ted Arison founded Comcast in 1963 as a small cable operation.

The company started modestly but grew under family leadership through the decades. What began as a local service became a media and communications giant.

The founding family maintained control as the business expanded beyond anyone’s expectations. Here’s the deal: few people in the 60s imagined cable TV would transform America.

11. Ben Franklin Stores, Illinois

Ben Franklin became perhaps the first retail franchise when it started in 1927, named after Benjamin Franklin’s famous penny-saving wisdom.

Individual proprietors owned stores in small towns across America throughout the 1960s. The five-and-dime format offered everything families needed close to home.

In the 1970s, some locations expanded into Ben Franklin Family Centers with clothing and larger merchandise. The franchise model let local families run their own stores.

12. Piggly Wiggly, Tennessee

Clarence Saunders founded Piggly Wiggly in Memphis in 1916 as America’s first self-service grocery store.

By the 1960s, the unique name and innovative shopping format had spread across the South. Families loved picking their own products instead of asking clerks.

Individual families operated many Piggly Wiggly stores under franchise agreements. The concept revolutionized how Americans bought groceries.

13. Mary Kay Cosmetics, Texas

Mary Kay Ash founded her cosmetics company in 1963 with $5,000 in savings.

The direct-sales model let women run their own businesses from home. Pink Cadillacs became the symbol of success for top sellers.

The company stayed family-controlled while empowering thousands of women entrepreneurs. By the late 60s, Mary Kay was building a cosmetics empire.

14. Chick-fil-A, Georgia

Truett Cathy opened the Dwarf Grill in 1946, but the Chick-fil-A brand launched in the 1960s.

The family business pioneered the chicken sandwich that became an American favorite. Cathy’s Christian values shaped the business, including closing on Sundays.

The Cathy family maintained ownership as the chain grew from a single location. That’s why Chick-fil-A stayed true to its founding principles.

15. The Gap, California

Don and Doris Fisher founded The Gap in 1969 in San Francisco.

The couple started with one store selling Levi’s jeans and records, targeting the generation gap between parents and kids. The name came from that cultural divide.

The Fishers built an empire from that single store, keeping family involvement as the brand expanded. You’re better off starting with one great idea than a dozen mediocre ones.

16. Lands’ End, Illinois

Gary Comer founded Lands’ End in 1963 as a sailing equipment catalog company in Chicago.

The company started by selling sailboat hardware and equipment to sailors. The quirky name came from a typo on early materials that stuck.

Through the 60s, the family-run catalog business built a loyal following. The focus on quality and customer service became legendary.

17. Peet’s Coffee, California

Alfred Peet opened his first coffee shop in Berkeley in 1966.

The Dutch immigrant introduced Americans to dark-roasted, European-style coffee. His small shop became a gathering place for coffee lovers who wanted something better than diner coffee.

Peet taught the founders of Starbucks everything they knew about coffee. His family business started the specialty coffee movement in America.

18. Robert Mondavi Winery, California

Robert Mondavi founded his winery in Napa Valley in 1966 after leaving the family’s Charles Krug Winery.

At 52 years old, Mondavi started over with a vision for world-class American wine. His family operation helped put California wines on the international map.

The distinctive Spanish mission-style winery became a Napa landmark. Mondavi proved American wines could compete with European vintages.

19. The North Face, California

Douglas Tompkins founded The North Face in San Francisco in 1966.

The company started selling high-quality climbing and backpacking equipment. The name came from the north face of mountains, always the coldest and most challenging to climb.

Through the late 60s, the family operation supplied serious outdoor enthusiasts. The brand became synonymous with quality outdoor gear.

20. Montgomery Ward, Illinois

Aaron Montgomery Ward founded his mail-order business in 1872, making it one of America’s oldest retailers by the 1960s.

Ward’s brother-in-law George Robinson Thorne joined the partnership, keeping it family-run for decades. By the 60s, Montgomery Ward competed with Sears for catalog supremacy.

Families across America relied on the Ward’s catalog for everything from appliances to clothing. The company maintained good sales through the decade.