The American home-improvement retailer founded in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in 1946 is Lowe’s.
Lowe’s roots reach back to 1921, when Lucius Smith Lowe opened Lowe’s North Wilkesboro Hardware. The business originally sold a broad mix of merchandise, including hardware, building supplies, groceries, dry goods, horse tack, and household goods. After Lowe’s death, ownership passed through his family.
The modern Lowe’s business took shape in 1946, when co-owner H. Carl Buchan refocused the store on home-improvement products in anticipation of postwar construction and housing demand. Lowe’s opened a second North Carolina store in Sparta in 1949 and was incorporated as Lowe’s North Wilkesboro Hardware in 1952.
That two-date history explains why sources may cite either 1921 or 1946. The former marks the original hardware store; the latter marks the focused home-improvement company behind today’s chain. Home Depot, Menards, and Ace Hardware are competitors, not alternate answers to this clue.