Ben Franklin is a chain of five-and-dime, and later craft, retail stores that formerly had locations in both Bismarck and Mandan. The chain originated as a mail-order wholesaler called Butler Brothers in Boston in 1877. The first Ben Franklin five-and-dime retail store opened in 1927 and evolved to a peak of about 2,500 locations, mostly in small communities, before greatly eroding to only a handful of stores.
Mandan
The Mandan Ben Franklin predated Bismarck’s by several decades, first opening sometime in the 1940s. It was located in the Hulett Building until fire consumed the building on January 30, 1959. It re-opened on the same site and remained there the rest of its existence. Darrel and RoseAnn Vollmers purchased it in 1984 from Cal and Evelyn Tanner.
Mandan’s Ben Franklin store closed in 1997, citing increased competition and decreased sales resulting from construction on Main Street and severe weather decreasing traffic. Interestingly, its owner stated that roughly two-thirds of her business came from Bismarck instead of Mandan, which had fallen considerably. While the Bismarck store had converted into a craft store, Mandan retained the original variety format until its closure. Upon closing, people were caught dumpster diving to collect relics of the iconic store.
Bismarck
Bismarck’s Ben Franklin store opened in 1974 at Arrowhead Plaza. It was housed in the original Dan’s Supermarket space at the mall before the grocer relocated as part of the mall’s 1960 expansion. The store began as the traditional variety store format before evolving into a craft store. It closed in 2007. Plaza Drug expanded into the space.
