A Conroe family business that survived and thrived for nearly eight decades provides an interesting overview about the evolution and history of commerce in America.

For generations, the legacy of Henry Bascom Everett was one of the top retail operations in Conroe. Through the years – and under a number of different business names – Everett’s was the place local residents, farmers and businessmen would shop for staples and essentials.

“The inventory changed in the nearly 80 years my family ran it,” said Patti Everett, great granddaughter of the founder. “But there was always a sense of pride and integrity – I think that’s what I miss the most since it closed.”

Everett's ca 1908

With an initial investment of $500, Everett Cash Grocery opened at 108 Simonton in Conroe in 1908, selling fresh food, dry goods, livestock feed, hardware and other necessities of the era. The days of specialty retail operations were years away and the store was a popular destination for residents to stock up on a wide range of supplies.

The wooden structure, along with most of downtown Conroe, was destroyed in a massive fire in February 1911. In accordance with an ordinance by city officials, the replacement building was constructed of brick.

Everett's ca 1980

“Businessmen didn’t waste time rebuilding,” noted Montgomery County historian Larry Foerster. “The owner of the building, a C.A. Randoph of Huntsville, started construction only a few weeks after the fire.”

The Everett family replaced the lost stock and reopened the business. By 1910 Everett’s family began working at the store. In 1915, Everett bought the building that housed his retail operation.

Everett's Ad from The Courier

Foerster said an Everett & Sons advertisement in the Conroe Courier in 1912 offered 15 pounds of sugar, two gallons of cooking oil, eight pounds of dry salt or cooked bacon, 11 pounds of compound lard and five pounds of Grand Rio Coffee – all for $1.

“The business continued to grow and grow,” said Patti. “Eventually the feed operation was moved to a secondary location across the railroad tracks, where Henderson Feed Store is now.”

Patti recalled that the family business offered credit to the working men and women of Conroe.

It’s said that in 1931, shortly before making one of the biggest oil strikes in American history, George Strake came to Everett’s for credit to purchase supplies because he was out of money.

“There was a real honor among people,” said Patti. “My folks knew who could be trusted and most people were very forthright about honoring their commitments.”

Frank Elam & Eddie Stephens Inspect a shotgun at Everett Hardware

In 1941, dry goods were eliminated from the inventory, followed by the dropping of grocery items in 1951. The business, now Everett & Sons Hardware, was considered one of the most well stocked and finest hardware stores in the area.

The store sold standard plumbing, electrical and building supplies as well as tools and sporting goods. Facing increase pressure from national chains, the store affiliated with Tru-Value Hardware in the 1960s.

“I worked there at Christmas and during the summer months,” recalled Patti. “But dad was hard on me because I was clumsy and had a habit of breaking more than I sold.”

She remembers as youth that a large bell hung in the store and would be wrung precisely at 6 p.m. to let people know the store was closing.

“It was a big honor to get to ring the bell,” she said. “All of us kids wanted to be the one to pull the cord and make the bell ring.”

The bell signaled the closing of the doors, but Patti said that the store remained open until the last customer had an opportunity to conclude their business.

“There was a lot of pride among the employees,” said Patti. “They were very loyal and respectful of the family.”

The same was true between the Everett’s and their customers. When a patron was behind in their credit payments, the family was very understanding of legitimate reasons and didn’t apply pressure for payment.

“If you were truthful, they were very understanding of the situation,” said Patti. “But if people lied, well, they didn’t react well to that at all.”

Credit issues and personal finances were kept in strictest confidence, Patti said. Her parents never talked about who owned money or was behind in their bills.

“And every year, my father made sure there were bonuses for store employees,” she said. “He knew families depended on it for their Christmas. If the store wasn’t doing well, he’d make it up out of his own pocket.”

In 1988, the store was sold to Frank Elam, who operated it for nearly 10 years before it finally closed for good.

“Part of it was the pressure applied by retail giants like WalMart, Home Depot and Lowe’s,” said Patti. “But part of it was that it wasn’t the same family business environment. The loyalty factor that used to be common just didn’t exist anymore.”

The building has been used for storage and Bo Meyers owned and operated an antique mall in it for a time, according to Foerster.

“It’s funny, but even after the store closed, there were people who continued to pay $10 or so a month on their old charge,” said Patti. “Eventually, my mother told them to stop paying – that she considered the debt paid.”

Everett & Sons may no longer be a part of Conroe’s economic community, but it remains and important part of the city’s heritage. A place of business, but one with a close relationship to families that shaped the community for decades and generations.

“Progress has changed a lot of things for the good,” said Patti, “but we’ve lost something along the way and it’s sad because it’s probably gone forever.”

For more on the history of Conroe and the surrounding area, visit the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County, located at 1506 N. I-45. For information, visit www.heritagemuseum.us or call 936-539-6873.