W.W. Mac Co.

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jimbobga
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Posts: 68
Joined: 10 Feb 2007 01:31
Location: Senoia, Ga

W.W. Mac Co.

Post by jimbobga »

In downtown Cocoa, Florida, was a five-and-ten cent store called W. W. Mac Co. The building was apparently built in the twenties since it was of the stucco-Spanish style of architecture so common in commercial and residential construction of that era in Central Florida. True to form, the red-and-gold signage was above the door. Because I had never heard of this store before, I assumed it was a local mom-and-pop operation. It closed around 1961, giving in to the competition from the new [1955] Neisner's down the street. Just last week, I was looking at some postcards a saw a picture of a shopping center in Richlands, Virginia; located right next to the Piggly Wiggly was a W.W. Mac Co. store. While this chain could not have been in the ranks of Woolworth's, Kress, W. T. Grant, and G. C. Murphy stores, it must have had a presence somewhere other than Cocoa, Florida, and Richlands, Virginia. Does anybody have a clue about this long-forgotten chain of variety stores?
carolinatraveler
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Joined: 06 Nov 2008 21:31
Location: Kernersville, NC
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Re: W.W. Mac Co.

Post by carolinatraveler »

W.W.Mac 5&10 cent stores were founded in October 1936 by William McLellan, who had originally founded the much larger and better known McLellan's chain. Having lost control of McLellans during the early years of the depression, McLellan went back into the business in 1936 on a much smaller scale. I can confirm the existance of stores in the following towns:
Lake Wells, Leesville, Sebring, and Winter Haven, FL; Bainbridge, Carrollton and Dalton, GA; Reidsville, NC; Oxford, OH; Gate City, Marion, and Richlands, VA. One grand opening newspaper article I have seen indicates that the operation began with the purchase of seven stores in Georgia and Alabama, and shortly thereafter the company opened or bought five stores in Tennessee. The Richlands store is the only shopping center location that I have ever discovered, although I belive the chain lasted into the 1970s. Will welcome more information if anyone has any.

Wayne Henderson
jimbobga
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Posts: 68
Joined: 10 Feb 2007 01:31
Location: Senoia, Ga

Re: W.W. Mac Co.

Post by jimbobga »

With the exception of the Bainbridge, GA; North Carolina, and Ohio stores, the rest of these stores seem to be kind of grouped closely together, although the Cocoa, FL, store is over 100 miles away from Lake Wales and Sebring, which are in the center of the state. The Virginia stores aren't that far apart, so it makes me wonder if these "clustered" stores weren't bought as a group and had a name change.

The Cocoa store building is still in existence on Brevard Avenue, covered up in 60's monolithic design and serving as a large realty office.
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