In my last entry, I wrote about William H. Barnhardt, Wells Fargo's first agent in Oregon, and mentioned his ownership of a general store. Before the days of supermarket behemoths, the general store was where people purchased their goods. At general stores, Oregon pioneers  purchased goods through trade, cash or credit, and some general stores provided express mail service via Wells, Fargo & Co.

During the 19th century, the general store was not just a venue for townspeople, entrepreneurs and farmers to purchase goods or conduct business—it was also a gathering place to get news, seek advice on the Oregon potato  market, discuss community happenings, etc. From a business perspective, it makes sense to be where customers are, or will frequent. For example, S. Marks & Co. conducted express business for Wells Fargo and operated a general store out of Roseburg, Ore. , that appealed to a range of customer needs by having ...

"... constantly on hand a large assortment of DRY GOODS, CLOTHING, BOOTS, SHOES, HATS, AND CAPS, etc."

Another example was John Conner from Albany, Ore. , who served as a Wells Fargo agent and ran a general store that dealt in general merchandise, dry goods , and "country produce." The gathering points changed as business changed and adapted to new communication and transportation innovations.

Ironically, the business models of general store, Western Union  telegraph, and Wells, Fargo & Co. have returned today with the supermarket presence of Wells Fargo and Western Union . For Americans of the 21st century, the 19th century idea of "one-stop shopping" has returned, as Wells Fargo has over 500 banking locations in supermarkets throughout the West.