[ Itinerary ]
[ Tour Guide ]
[ Related Sites ]
[ ]
[ Carolina Theater ]
[ Walking Tour ]
[ Directions ]
[ First National Bank Building ]
[ Itinerary ]
[ Tour Guide ]
[ Related Sites ]
[ ]
[ Walking Tour ]
[ Directions ]
[ First National Bank Building ]
Joseph Benjamin Ivey, the handsome son of a Methodist preacher, opened a
small store room in rented space near the Square on February 18, 1900.
He belonged to a distinguished list of storekeepers who came to Charlotte
at the turn of the century to take advantage of the booming cotton mill
economy. Ivey's first day's sales totaled $33.18. "We had to study
carefully and push the lines that the other merchants did not make a
specialty," the enterprising merchant explained many years later. "For
instance, at one time brass buttons were quite the rage. I was careful
to keep in a supply all of the time while the other merchants were not
noticing and allowed their stock to get low." Among Mr. Ivey'' early
employees was David Ovens, a Canadian who joined J. B. Ivey & Company in
1904. "I would probably have been satisfied with a moderate business
that would make something over a living," said Ivey, "but Mr. Ovens was
ambitious to make J. B. Ivey & Company a big store and the business grew
rapidly under our combined efforts."
Ovens Auditorium on East Independence Boulevard is named for David Ovens. A devout Methodist, Ivey insisted that the curtains be drawn in his store windows on Sundays, so that the pedestrians would not be tempted to consider matters of this world on the Lord's day. Can you imagine a merchant doing such a thing today? Hardly. Our cultural values have undergone radical change since Ivey's day.
J. B. Ivey had a wide range of interests. He was an avid traveler. He also devoted great amounts of time and energy to growing flowers, especially tulips, dahlias, and gladiolas. Many people remember that the restaurant in Ivey's Department Store was named the Tulip Terrace. Ivey's home in Myers Park was surrounded by gorgeous tulip beds. There was even a miniature Dutch windmill in the yard. This elegant building at Fifth and North Tryon Streets was designed by architect William H. Peeps and opened as the new home of J. B. Ivey & Company in 1924. The store was renovated and enlarged in 1939. On May 4, 1990, Ivey's was purchased by Dillard's, another department store chain. The building has recently been converted into luxury condominiums.
Continue south on Tryon Street. You have returned to the Square where the walking tour began. Continue straight across West Trade Street and stop at the skyscraper next to Polk Park on your right. Polk Park is named for Thomas Polk. Remember him?
Directions
[ Top of Page ]
[ Itinerary ]
[ Tour Guide ]
[ Related Sites ]
[ ]
[ Walking Tour ]
[ Directions ]
[ First National Bank Building ]
