Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
WALSH STORE
WALSH STORE. "Your Family Savings Center" at 13th and Central. In 1914, Joseph F. Walsh began the business in Tennyson, Wisconsin. His son, Clifford, and Clifford's wife, Isabelle, eventually took over the business as other family members opened more stories in Wisconsin.
In July, 1957 the Tennyson store along with Clifford and Isabelle's home were destroyed by fire. The couple opened the Walsh Store in Dubuque the following November. The 1959 through 1993 Dubuque City Directory gave the address as 1301 Central.
Ann Liddle, one of their children, credited her mother with being the person to place orders and taking care of the stock. Her father was responsible for the financial matters and public relations. The company began by offering basic needs and gradually branched into items requested by customers. The owners looked for manufacturers' closeouts and overruns which offered bargains which could be passed along to customers.
Mark Walsh and his wife, Pam, with Ann Liddle and her husband, Jeff, bought the business from Clifford and Isabelle. The hardware store was sold and became a separate business.
Competition from large chain stores and fewer overruns created pressure on the Walsh Stores. In 2000 the Walsh Stores closed. Heartland Financial Corporation, the parent company of DUBUQUE BANK AND TRUST COMPANY purchased the renovated the buildings for its operations center.
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Source:
"175 Years" Vol. II Telegraph Herald, p. 80