Our Story

“It’s Our Family Serving Your Family” - John Dunham Foundation of a Lasting Legacy - Since 1905

The legacy began in March 1905, when Roy and Fannie Dunham bought a half-interest in a small grocery store on Wellsboro’s Main Street. Over the next three decades, they added dry goods, household items, hardware, farm supplies, clothes and shoes. In 1913, the store was badly damaged in a fire. Undeterred, Roy and Fannie bought additional space, rebuilt and expanded.

During the Depression, when a lot of rural residents had no way of getting to town, the Dunham’s created the “Rolling Store,” a modified truck that carried dry goods, hardware and candy to residents in outlying areas. The truck traveled around the county until World War II when gasoline and tire rationing put the brakes on the rolling store.

In 1932, at the height of the Depression, Roy and Fannie built the present three-story department store. Over the years, ownership of Dunham’s Department Store has passed from generation to generation.

From 3,000 square feet to over 35,000 square feet, Dunham’s has grown and kept pace with the times. Walk into Dunham’s today and you’ll find the latest styles and fashions and hand-selected quality products in every department, on every floor.

One thing hasn’t changed. The courteous service, warm and welcoming atmosphere and small-town friendliness that Roy and Fannie Dunham started over 100 years ago are still what make Dunham’s special today.