6 Things Arkansans Remember About Walton’s 5&10 Before Walmart Took Over
The floor at Walton’s 5&10 had red and green tiles that didn’t match.
It’s one of the small details from the dime store where Walton got his start.
Here’s what Arkansans remember about Walton’s 5&10 before Walmart took over.
1. The Harrison Variety Store
Sam Walton bought the Harrison Variety Store on the Bentonville town square in 1950.
Walmart’s museum site says the store belonged to Luther Harrison.
Sam had come from Newport, where the landlord of his Ben Franklin store didn’t renew his lease.
The Waltons moved to Bentonville on May 1, 1950.
By May 9, the Encyclopedia of Arkansas says, Walton had bought the store with his father-in-law’s help.
He remodeled the building before opening it as Walton’s 5&10.
The Walmart Museum sits in the same space today, so you can stand where the store stood.
2. The Ben Franklin Franchise
Walton’s 5&10 was a Ben Franklin franchise store that carried Sam Walton’s name.
The State Historical Society of Missouri says Walton opened it in 1950 as his next franchise store from Butler Brothers, the company behind Ben Franklin.
If you shopped there, you were shopping at a franchise, even with Walton’s name on the store.
3. Self-Service Shopping
Walton’s 5&10 let you look over the goods on the shelves and then bring them to the clerk to buy.
The State Historical Society of Missouri says that in the 1950s, customers had to go to a counter and ask a clerk for assistance.
Walton read about some Ben Franklin stores that had switched to self-service and decided to try it in his store.
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas calls Walton’s 5&10 the third self-service variety store in the nation and the first in the state.
4. Two Openings
Walton’s 5&10 had two openings.
Walton opened with a one-day remodeling sale, the Encyclopedia of Arkansas says.
Walmart’s museum timeline dates that opening to May 9, 1950.
The grand opening came in March 1951, after remodeling.
According to Walmart’s museum timeline, the store had sales of $75,000 during its first year of operation.
When Walton’s 5&10 Held Its Grand Opening
Two sources give Walton’s 5&10 a different grand opening day in March 1951.
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says March 18.
Walmart’s museum timeline says March 15.
Both agree on the month and the year.
5. The Mismatched Floor Tiles
Walton’s 5&10 had red and green floor tiles that didn’t match.
Walmart’s museum site says Sam was offered a better price on the batch if he took the tiles as is.
You can still walk across them at the museum entrance.
6. The First Clerk and Manager
Walmart’s museum timeline lists Troy Almand as the first clerk at Walton’s 5&10 in 1950.
He was 16.
Bob Bogle became the Bentonville store’s first manager in 1955, which freed Sam Walton to focus on expansion.
The Newport Store
Walton’s 5&10 came after a Ben Franklin store in Newport, which the Waltons opened on September 1, 1945.
The State Historical Society of Missouri says Sam bought that franchise with financial support from his father-in-law, L.S. Robson.
Sales there grew from $80,000 to $225,000 in three years.
When Wal-Mart Arrived
By the early 1960s, the Waltons owned sixteen Ben Franklin stores in Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says Walton asked Ben Franklin to cut its margins by fifty percent to maximize discount marketing.
Walton then opened the first Wal-Mart in Rogers on July 2, 1962.
By January 31, 1970, he and his brother owned eighteen Walmart stores and fourteen Ben Franklins.
Walton had closed all his Ben Franklin stores by 1976.
Psst! How much do you know about the five-and-dime? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.
Quiz
Five-and-Dime Trivia
Answer these questions on five-and-dime stores and the chains behind them. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Frank Woolworth opened his first five-cent store in Utica, New York, in 1879. How did it turn out?
From Dime Store to Museum
Walton's 5&10 is part of the Walmart Museum on the Bentonville square today.
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says Walton opened the first version of the museum in that space in 1990.
Back then, it was called the Wal-Mart Visitors Center.
Walton had first wanted a museum, but after he visited the Hallmark Visitors Center in Kansas City, Missouri, he chose that name.
Walmart employee Betty Holmes played a major role in curating the first version of the space.
After Walton's death, she drove his 1979 Ford F-150 pickup into the space to be displayed.
It took the Walmart Museum name in 2012.
After a renovation, the museum reopened in its original location in early 2025.
Admission is free.
If you finish the galleries, you exit through the Spark Café, a 1950s-style diner.
Walmart's museum page says butter pecan, Sam Walton's favorite flavor, is still on the Spark Café menu.
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