The founder of Smithey's Stores,
Nikeard Bruce Smithey, was born August 11, 1880. N.B. Smithey was familiarly known as Nike Smithey, who started out
in the business world selling beef to the people of the Wilkesboro community. Later he operated a small store in or near
the old Chronicle building.
His next business venture, was the purchase of the Wilkesboro Hotel building, where he opened a larger store and with
the help of his new bride operated the Smithey Hotel and began expanding his business to dry goods. He borrowed
$3,800 to purchase the hotel and according to legend, this is the only money Nike Smithey ever borrowed.
Frequently going north, Mr. Smithey would buy out stocks and bring back with him or ship this merchandise and sell
to the people at bargain prices. The slogan remained on the Wilkesboro store building, Smithey's, The Great Bargain
Givers until the store was restored in 1966 and was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1982.
The first Smithey's store was in the Smithey Hotel building. He later expanded and bought a store in North Wilkesboro in 1928,
and then started building chain sotres in this northwest section of the state, in Tennessee and Virginia, which totaled seventeen
at the time of his death on October 3, 1953.
When he started to expand his business, he would rent a building in a town, and if in two or three years he made
some money, he would buy a lot and build a store building. He was his own contractor, sketching the size of the
building on paper with a pencil. He would supervise the construction of the buildings and would do a lot of the work
himself.
Mr. Smithey had little formal schooling but was an educated man. He was known as an expert on merchandising,
an excellent banker, had a wide knowledge of tax law, a good builder with the art of constructing buildings, laying
rock, block and brick with clarity and precision.
