Fowler, Dick & Walker

Fowler, Dick & Walker

Company type	Department store chain
Industry	Retail
Founded	April 5, 1879 (1879-04-05) in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States
Founder	George Fowler, Alexander Dick, Gilbert Walker
Defunct	1981
Fate	Bankruptcy; stores acquired by Boscov's and others
Headquarters	Wilkes-Barre , United States
Area served	Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana (former)
Products	Dry goods, department store merchandise

Fowler, Dick & Walker: The Boston Store

File:Fowler's Department Store Final Logo.png

Fowler's emblem

Fowler, Dick & Walker, commonly referred to as Fowler's, was a department store chain also known by the name The Boston Store. The enterprise began modestly in 1879 as a small dry goods shop located at 120 South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The founding partners—George Fowler, Alexander Dick, and Gilbert Walker—brought prior experience in the dry goods trade from Connecticut. Their inaugural store commenced operations on April 5, 1879. Within months, advertisements appeared in neighboring communities, and by February of the following year, the business employed eighteen staff members.

Expansion followed with the establishment of a branch in Binghamton, New York in 1882. By 1889, the company had also launched a location in Evansville, Indiana, which had gained regional recognition by 1892. A new downtown Binghamton store was promoted by 1904 at the corner of Court Street and Water Street; this site would serve as the company's flagship for over seventy-five years.

The Evansville branch ceased operations in 1934. In 1975, Fowler's introduced a store within the Oakdale Mall near Binghamton while maintaining its downtown presence. The Wilkes-Barre store suffered significant damage during the 1972 flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes. Concurrently, Fowler's opened a location at the nearby Wyoming Valley Mall and another at the Laurel Mall in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, an area where Fowler, Dick & Walker had development interests. However, declining business at the Wilkes-Barre downtown site combined with the financial burden of launching new stores led to operational challenges.

Ownership changed hands multiple times starting in 1970 when Wheeling-based L. S. Good acquired the company. Despite these transitions, none restored profitability, and by 1980, Fowler's entered bankruptcy proceedings. At that time, the chain consisted of the original Wilkes-Barre store—now occupying an entire building—and two stores in the Binghamton vicinity.

Following Fowler's closure between 1978 and 1981, Boscov's assumed control of the downtown Binghamton location. The Wilkes-Barre store was converted into a Boscov's without interruption in service, and Boscov's also took over the Hazleton outlet. These three sites continue to operate successfully under Boscov's banner, with the Binghamton store serving as a flagship for the chain. The Oakdale Mall location was subsequently acquired by Hess's, later transformed into a Bon-Ton, and has since closed.

File:Boscov's flagship, Binghamton, NY.jpg

Current view of Fowler’s former building in Binghamton, New York now housing a Boscov's store