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Bradenton in Manatee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Bealls Centennial

 
 
Bealls Centennial Marker Side 1 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 24, 2016
1. Bealls Centennial Marker Side 1
Inscription. (side 1)
In April of 1915, twenty-two year old Robert M. Beall opened a simple dry goods store on this block of Old Main Street. Pricing nothing over a dollar, he named it the Dollar Limit. Beall invested his money in merchandise so when the goods arrived from suppliers he recycled the wooden packing cases, turning them upside down for use as display tables.

The store location was just steps from the docks where steamboats brought passengers and freight from Tampa each day. Manatee County was growing fast, with new farms and groves springing up and visitors filling the few boarding houses and hotels each winter season. The Dollar Limit thrived. Due to inflation in the wake of World War I, Beall had to raise prices and so he renamed his store the V Dollar Limit in 1920. A tireless civic booster, in 1923 he was instrumental in bringing the St. Louis Cardinals, the first major league baseball team to Bradenton for spring training.
(Continued on other side)
(side 2)
(Continued from other side)
In 1924, the V Dollar Limit moved into a fine new brick store on Manatee Avenue across from the courthouse. In 1932, following the Real Estate and Stock Market crashes of 1926 and 1929, Robert Beall lost his store to the bank. He stayed on as manager and throughout the Great Depression
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he tirelessly saved his money in hopes of someday being able to buy the business back. He achieved that goal in 1944.

Two years later his son E.R., after serving in the army, joined his father as junior partner in the newly christened Beall's Department Store. In 1956, E.R. opened a new store in Bradenton's first shopping center which was located at the corner of 39th Street and Manatee Avenue.

Today Bealls, Inc., still headquartered in Bradenton, operates stores numbering in the hundreds across Florida and the southern states.
 
Erected by Manatee County Historical Commission.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1915.
 
Location. 27° 29.832′ N, 82° 34.409′ W. Marker is in Bradenton, Florida, in Manatee County. Marker is at the intersection of 12th Street West and 3rd Avenue West, on the right when traveling south on 12th Street West. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 302 12th St W, Bradenton FL 34205, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Florida Highway Patrol School (within shouting distance of this marker); Courthouse Square (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Honorable R.B. "Chips" Shore Courthouse Grounds (about 800 feet away); The Carnegie Library
Bealls Centennial Marker Side 2 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 24, 2016
2. Bealls Centennial Marker Side 2
(about 800 feet away); First Presbyterian Church of Bradenton (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bradenton General Hospital (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bradentown Depot (approx. 0.4 miles away); Major Adams Cemetery (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bradenton.
 
Bealls Centennial Marker and surrounding area image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 24, 2016
3. Bealls Centennial Marker and surrounding area
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 19, 2017. It was originally submitted on January 18, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 826 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on January 18, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 18, 2024