Fred Morgan Kirby (1861-1940)
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Pioneer of the 5 & 10 cent store sales concept. He opened his first store in Wilkes-Barre in 1884. In 1912, he merged his 96 retail stores with F. W. Woolworth to form the vast international retail chain. A philanthropist, he made significant gifts to institutions of higher education for the study of civil rights, and gifts for public health and recreation services in northeastern Pennsylvania. He resided here from 1905 to 1940.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Fred Morgan Kirby opened his first five-and-ten-cent store in Wilkes-Barre in 1884, helping pioneer the fixed-low-price retailing that transformed how Americans shopped. By 1912 he had built a chain of 96 stores, which he merged into F. W. Woolworth to help form one of the world's great retail empires. A committed philanthropist, he directed major gifts to higher education—including the study of civil rights—and to public health and recreation across northeastern Pennsylvania.
Why it matters
Kirby helped invent the modern variety store, a retail model that reshaped Main Streets and consumer life nationwide.
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Related people
- · Fred Morgan Kirby
- · F. W. Woolworth
Themes & tags
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