In today’s rapidly shifting business climate, when entire industries can seemingly evaporate overnight, longevity can often be overlooked in favor of the new, the flashy, the disruptive.
In a burgeoning city like Greenville, there’s something to be admired in the simmering, slow-burn success of the oldest businesses . Add in the fact that many are also family-run businesses — with all the complications than can arise between parents, children and siblings over the generations — and the resilience becomes all the more remarkable.
Here’s a look at some of the family businesses that made Greenville what it is today.
Hale’s Jewelers
Founded 1856
761 Verdae Blvd.
The oldest current business in Greenville, Hale’s Jewelers was founded just before the Civil War. It originally specialized in jewelry made with locks of human hair. Trends have changed over the years, and while gifting your beloved a brooch with a lock of your hair secreted inside might be out of fashion, the store has kept its core business relatively unchanged. Technically speaking, the business was purchased from the Hale family in 2000 by current owner Lucian Lee, who had been an employee at the store since 1973. But Lee was considered by the Hales to be an honorary part of the family, so we’re making an exception to include it on the list of Greenville’s oldest family businesses. Hales recently opened a new, 8,000-square-foot store at 761 Verdae Blvd.
Gillespie Marble & Granite Works
Founded 1899
801 Laurens Road
It might sound strange, or perhaps even a bit grim, that some of Greenville’s oldest businesses specialize in death. The Gillespie family doesn’t see it that way. The long-running family business has provided grave markers and custom granite, marble and bronze memorials for generations, with the fifth generation currently at the helm. The company sees its mission as being entwined with local history, honoring the individuals we’ve lost who have made Greenville what it is, all while becoming a fixture of that very history themselves.
Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes
Founded 1913
639 N. Main St.
Another business that focuses on guiding Greenvillians through grief and mourning, Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes began serving families in the days when funeral hearses were pulled behind horses. It was also a time when the funeral home doubled as an ambulance service. While those in need of medical attention might have been understandably distressed by the presence of the funeral director showing up at their door, the company became a key lifeline by operating the first motor ambulance in Greenville. The fifth generation currently operates the business, with four locations across the Upstate.
Central Realty Holdings
Founded 1926
400 E. Stone Ave.
The business that established the Timmons family , Central Reality Holdings, began during the boom years of the 1920s, but it remained resilient through the hard years of the Depression and beyond. Now run by more than a dozen third- and fourth-generation descendants of founder William Timmons Sr., the real estate investment and development company has played a part in numerous iconic Greenville projects – including the Bob Jones Museum & Gallery, Centre Stage, Greenville Tech, Greenville Little Theatre, Furman University, United Way of Greenville, the Metropolitan Arts Council and dozens more.
Bouharoun’s Fine Wines and Spirits
Founded 1946
301 Falls St.
The small building that houses Bouharoun’s Fine Wines and Spirits may be overshadowed these days by the rise of comparatively gigantic apartment buildings and hotels downtown, but the cozy shop’s distinct art deco design still stands out. Unlike some other businesses on this list, Bouharoun’s is perhaps best understood as a collaboration between three families: the Browns, the Steins and now the store’s namesake Bouharouns. Founded by Stanley Brown in the immediate aftermath of World War II, the store known then as Stanley’s was passed on to Martin Stein in the early 1970s and then on to William Bouharoun a few years later. Now operated by William’s son Peter Bouharoun, the store continues its nearly 80-year history by curating a selection of rare and unique wines and spirits.
Army Navy Store
Founded 1946
1438 Laurens Road
For 75 years, the iconic Army Navy Store run by the Zaglin family was a fixture of downtown Greenville. Through times of boom and bust, the store held firm in its spot at 660 S. Main St. Even though the store has recently relocated to Laurens Road, the history of the family-owned business lives on.
Ayers Leather Shop
Founded 1950
17 W. North St.
This long-running leather shop in downtown Greenville would never have existed were it not for its founder, Elrod Ayers , getting shot in the backside during World War II. After being wounded, Ayers began working in a leather shop during his rehabilitation. After the end of the war, he continued his trade in Greenville, opening the shop across a few different spots downtown. It is now as vintage and artfully weathered as the fine leather it sells, currently run by Elrod’s daughter Deb and her son Payton.