Charles Sumner Woolworth
Charles Sumner Woolworth , was a United States entrepreneur who went by the nickname of Sum, opened and managed the worlds first fiveanddime store in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and was founder of the C. S. Woolworth amp Co chain ofampstores. Sums brother, Frank Winfield Woolworth was first to venture into the retail business with his own store, and soon after, he asked Sum to join him. Frank founded F. W. Woolworth amp Co, which later merged with other Woolworth affiliate stores to be the F. W. Woolworth Company. After the death of his brother, Sum became the longest serving Chairman of the F. W. Woolworth Company. During the early years, Sum also partnered with a longtime friend, Fred Kirby, to open a Woolworth and Kirby store in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. When Fred bought out Sums share, that store grew to become a friendly rival affiliate store, in close alliance with the two Woolworth brothers.
Charles Sumner Woolworth, known by everyone as Sum, was born on August 1, 1856, in Rodman, New York, to John Hubbell Woolworth and Fanny McBrier. Growing up he worked on his familys farm. When his brother Frank sought work and fortune as an apprentice in Augsbury and Moore dry goods store, in Watertown, New York, Sum became eager to follow. At 21, Sum joined Frank as an apprentice salesman in the same store, which had since become Moore and Smith. While Frank liked the back end of the business in accounting and purchasing, Sum liked the front end of the business, meeting customers and working on innovative ways to display merchandise.
Source: Wikipedia