Fowler Brothers celebrating 125th year
Five generations of furniture retail
-- Casual Living, 2/3/2010 1:09:00 PM
The Fowler Brothers Co., doing business as The Furniture Shoppe and The Patio Shop, is celebrating its 125th anniversary, marking five generations of family heritage focused on bringing values in the furniture business in east Tennessee.
Today, Richard C. Fowler Jr. is in his 30th year as president of The Fowler Brothers Co. His son, Carter Fowler, and daughter, Chappell Fowler, are fifth-generation family members who currently work in the business.
The company dates back to 1885 when James G. Sterchi sold goods as a traveling salesman in east Tennessee with a horse-drawn buggy pulled by a blind horse. In 1886 James and his brother, John Calvin Sterchi, opened a furniture store in Knoxville, Tenn.
As the business progressed John Calvin and his son-in-law, John O. Fowler, opened Sterchi Brothers and Fowler in 1911 in downtown Chattanooga. In 1930, John O. Fowler and his brothers Frank and Ben incorporated Fowler Brothers Co., in Chattanooga and Knoxville. After the death of John O. Fowler in 1943, his son Richard Calvin Fowler Sr. became president of the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company until his death in1958. His son Richard Calvin Fowler Jr. became president in 1981.
Changing the way the South shopped for furniture, Richard C. Fowler Jr. introduced a “Carolina pricing” concept that brought the lowest prices on fine furniture to the area. To help attract new customers and showcase the capabilities of the multi-store retailer, Richard Fowler Jr. used several advertising campaigns in publications such as Southern Accents magazine, The Chattanooga Free Press and billboards throughout the Southeast.
To streamline the business Richard Fowler Jr. and his wife, Sarah C. Fowler, came up with a new vision for the company in the 1980s. This included closing all of the Chattanooga locations except the I-24 campus.
As business at the I-24 location progressed into the 1990s, the couple passed on their experience and heritage to their children Sarah Chappell Fowler, Richard Calvin Fowler III and Walton Carter Fowler. The children continued their parents’ vision by updating the company for business in the 21st century. The Fowler family looks forward to another 125 years of serving the Chattanooga community and the Southeast.
Dick:
Congratulations! There are still a few "old timers" in the mix. Remember Norm Sweeters from Pande Cameron? We used to eat some great country cooking at that hole-in-the-wall restaurant you used to love to go to for lunch. I also remember going on some home deliveries in your truck!
Be well.
Norm Sweeters - 2010-02-08 13:46:00 EST
Congratulations! There are still a few "old timers" in the mix. Remember Norm Sweeters from Pande Cameron? We used to eat some great country cooking at that hole-in-the-wall restaurant you used to love to go to for lunch. I also remember going on some home deliveries in your truck!
Be well.
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