Crites-Watson Office Supply

From Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center
Jump to navigation Jump to search

.. .

..... ..... .

Wiki.png
About
Name
  • Crites-Watson Office Supply
Retail
  • Miscellaneous Store Retailers
Facts
Founded
  • 1955
Dissolved
  • Date unknown
Related
Key Persons
Location
    • 144 E. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States
    • 220 E. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States
    • 140 E. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States
    • 135 E. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States
    • 127 E. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States

CritesWatsonOffcSupply-Ltrhd.jpg

R. Clare Watson dated 1946.
Earl Crites dated 1946.

In 1955, R. Clare Watson and Earl Crites, two former employees of the City Book Store, formed a partnership to establish their own office supply store that would be known as Crites-Watson Office Supply. They established a store at 220 E. Liberty St. in Wooster, Ohio which later became part of the Daily Record building complex. As the business grew it became necessary to relocate to a bigger space at 135 E. Liberty St. This location later became the home of the First Federal Savings and Loan Association. The partners operated at this location until 1969 when they purchased and improved the building at 140 E. Liberty St.

In 1972, Clare Watson purchased Earl Crites' interest in the business and by 1974 had expanded the business to include a print shop and a larger office furniture and equipment showroom in the building across the street at 127 E. Liberty St., the former Crum Drug Store location. By 1983 the business needing even more space was moved to 144 E. Liberty St. to occupy the former Newberry building.

At the businesses height the company employed as many as 20 employees and served a four-county area with a complete line of office equipment and supplies. Two of R. Clare Watson's sons, Larry and Russell Watson, and a son-in-law Nevin Numbers were also involved in the business for a number of years.[1]


Phone Number

  • 264-3085, 263-7851

Quick Facts

Gallery

Historical documents

  • Wooster, Ohio Sesquicentennial Celebration, June 14-21, 1958, p. 103.

Newspaper articles

  1. Wayne County History Book Committee, A History of Wayne County, Ohio, (Dallas, Texas: Taylor Pub. Co., 1987).