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David W. Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 9, 1837 |
| Died | March 2, 1920 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Known for | Spencer's (department store) |
| Spouse |
Emma Spencer (m. 1867) |
David W. Spencer (1837–1920) was the founder of the Spencer's department store chain in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1873.[1] An immigrant to Canada during the Cariboo Gold Rush, Spencer came from a long line of Welsh farmers.
Early life
[edit]After attending grammar school, Spencer completed a five-year apprenticeship at a dry goods company in Cowbridge, Wales in 1851.[2] During this time, Spencer became closely involved in the Welsh Methodist Church, eventually becoming a lay preacher. After hearing positive accounts from Welsh immigrants to British Columbia, Spencer left Wales for Canada in 1862. Spencer arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in December 1863 and quickly began leveraging his connections in the city's Methodist community to establish himself as a businessman.
Early business career
[edit]Between 1864 and 1878, Spencer participated in a series business ventures in downtown Victoria. Spencer purchased the Victoria Library in 1864, which was a private circulating library located in the downtown area of Victoria, on the corner of Fort Street and Government Street.[3] The library's business model had involved patrons paying subscription fees or per-use borrowing fees to access materials in its collection. Spencer expanded the scope of the business to include selling stationary and books, soon becoming one Victoria's most prominent booksellers.[4] However, in 1868, a fire destroyed the building's interior, leading Spencer to rebuild the site and eventually sell the business to a local stationary firm, T.N. Hibben & Co.[5]
In 1873, Spencer formed a business partnership with William Denny, together purchasing a downtown Victoria shop and starting a dry goods under the firm name Denny and Spencer. Although Spencer would leave his partnership with Denny in 1878, their business collaboration helped to establish Spencer as a significant member of Victoria's dry goods business sector.
On February 26, 1879, Spencer opened his own dry goods business, called Commerce House, which sold dry goods imported from America, England, and Europe. Commerce House initially operated out of a leased downtown Victoria building. However, its commercial success allowed Spencer to expand the business through the purchase of additional property in 1882 and 1885.
Death
[edit]Spencer died on March 2, 1920 in Victoria, British Columbia after having suffered from illness for several years.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Business Laureates of BC". Businesslaureatesbc.org. Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ Morton, Jamie (1998). "SPENCER, DAVID". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04.
- ^ "Biography – SPENCER, DAVID – Volume XIV (1911-1920) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ Kopytek, Bruce Allen (2014-10-21). Eaton's: The Trans-Canada Store. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62584-695-2.
- ^ "Biography – SPENCER, DAVID – Volume XIV (1911-1920) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ "The Daily News". open.library.ubc.ca. doi:10.14288/1.0388913. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
Category:Canadian businesspeople
Category:1837 births
Category:1920 deaths
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