Tupelo Hardware Co. Inc. is a hardware store in Tupelo, Mississippi

Tupelo, Mississippi

Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...

 that is credited with selling Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

's mother, Gladys, his first guitar. The business is still located at the corner of Main Street and Front Street in downtown Tupelo and still sells guitars. Pictured at http://www.rockabillyhall.com/tupelohardware.html

History

Tupelo Hardware Company is a family business owned and managed by three generations of the Booth family. The original business was founded in 1926 by George H. Booth, and later incorporated in 1969 by the founder and his son William, who worked with his father after his return from World War II until his father's death in 1973. William and his son, George H. Booth II, worked together from 1976 until William's death in 2000.

Cultural Context

One would be hard-pressed to find any other hardware store being widely written about, or the subject of an article in a major British newspaper (though this worldwide fame is largely due to the store's association with Presley). Journalist Andy Gill,writing in The Independent

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

in July 2006 referred to Tupelo Hardware as an "Aladdin's cave of DIY delight." That author ruminated on the store's old-time hardware emporium atmosphere against the cultural backdrop of the Deep South

Culture of the Southern United States

The Culture of the Southern United States, or Southern Culture, is a subculture of the United States that is perhaps America's most distinct, in the minds both of its residents and of those in other parts of the country...

.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060721/ai_n16673440

The shop is, according to its motto, "Known For Values". It is primarily a working hardware store, but has a dual existence as a holy site of pilgrimage for fans of Elvis and enthusiasts of the history of rock and roll.http://hamptonlandmarks.com/HamptonLandmarks/LandmarkDetailsServlet.jsp?ID=1029.0&&tour=elvis&&tourID=1002.0&&landmarkPage=1&&tourPage=1