Founded in 1946, Lowe’s has grown from a small hardware store in North Carolina to the second largest home improvement retailer worldwide, and the 8th largest retailer in the United States.
 
The Lowe's story began in North Carolina when Carl Buchan, part owner of the North Wilkesboro Hardware Company, envisioned creating a chain of hardware stores. At the time, Lowe’s was a typical, small town hardware store selling everything from overalls and bicycles to wash tubs, work boots and even horse collars.
 
Carl Buchan later purchased the Company from his brother-in-law and partner, James Lowe. Foreseeing the post-World War II building boom, Buchan concentrated on selling only hardware, appliances and building materials. By eliminating wholesalers and dealing directly with manufacturers, Lowe's established a lasting reputation for low prices. Sales grew over time and additional Lowe’s stores opened in neighboring towns throughout western North Carolina.
 
The company went public in 1961 and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1979 (NYSE: LOW). During this time, U.S. housing starts soared and professional builders became Lowe's loyal customers, accounting for the majority of Lowe’s business. In 1982, Lowe’s had our first billion-dollar sales year, earning a record profit of $25 million. Around this time, Lowe’s stores recognized the emergence of a new type of customer: do-it-yourself homeowners seeking to improve the value of their properties.
 
Today, our expansion continues. On average, we open a new store every three days, with our 117,000-square-foot stores in the nation’s larger metro markets and our newer 94,000-square-foot stores in small to mid-sized markets. In 2007, Lowe’s announced plans to open our first stores in Canada, and we also unveiled plans to expand into Mexico by 2009.
 
Lowe’s stores stock tens of thousands of unique products and have thousands more available by Special Order -- offering everything customers need to build, beautify and enjoy their homes.
 
Although times have changed since we first opened our doors, Lowe’s values have not: the company remains committed to offering quality home improvement products at the lowest prices, while delivering superior customer service.