Before becoming a paint store in the 1980s, the building at 102 South Main served as a grocery store
and a clothing store. In 1903, D.S. Duden, Grocer, advertised “staple and fancy groceries, tin, glass and
queensware.” Later, this site was home to one of the first J.C. Penney stores in Missouri. After Penney’s
moved down the block to a larger building, McCune’s Ladies Wear took its place.
Like many buildings on the square, this one was built with skylights that are now enclosed. A mezzanine
at the back of the store proved useful for Penney’s. Sales clerks used a hand trolley to transport items
and payment to cashiers in the mezzanine. The cashiers made change, wrapped the purchase, and sent
the trolley with its cargo back to the ground level. Mr. Penney himself visited his stores on occasion for
surprise inspections.
