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J. B. Ivey
Joseph Benjamin Ivey (1864-1958) was the founder of Ivey’s (J.B. Ivey & Company), a department store chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina in the early 1900s, which was later acquired by Dillard...view moreJoseph Benjamin Ivey (1864-1958) was the founder of Ivey’s (J.B. Ivey & Company), a department store chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina in the early 1900s, which was later acquired by Dillard’s, Inc. in 1990.
Born on June 8, 1864 in Shelby, North Carolina, a son of Methodist preacher George Washington Ivey and Selina Rachael Neal, Ivey’s family moved to Denver, where he attended Denver Seminary. During his final year there, he published a penprinted school paper, “The Denver Seminary Gazette,” and went on to contribute numerous pieces to local newspapers and other publications on such topics as polemics, human interest stories, and accounts of his extensive travels.
A job at a country store in Belwood, Cleveland County, set Ivey’s career as a merchant in motion. When store owner Capt. L. J. Hoyle offered him a half partnership in 1885, Ivey successfully introduced new methods of merchandising to draw the crowds, such as employing a brass band, a hot-air balloon ascension, and displaying merchandise on tables outdoors. He opened his very own small store in Charlotte in 1900 and bought another business at 13 West Trade Street at the end of that year, moving his store there. In 1914 he moved to 13-15 North Tryon Street, and another move was made in 1924 to the southwestern corner of North Tryon and Fifth streets. By 1940-1941, when the building was enlarged as far as Church Street, J. B. Ivey & Company had become the leading store in Charlotte for quality merchandise.
Ivey’s first marriage was to Emma Gantt, who died in 1917. The couple had four children: George, Emma, Ella, and Katherine. His second wife was Daisy Smith.
Ivey was an active member of the Methodist church throughout his life. He was president of the North Carolina Sunday School Association for a number of years he was, and financially supported a variety of religious and cultural programs.
Ivey died on April 4, 1958, two months shy of his 94th birthday.view less