A mail carrier in Albion, Maine used to finish his route by lunchtime.
So he spent his afternoons doing whatever paid. Spreading fertilizer. Buying and selling cars. Growing Christmas trees. Running a pick-your-own strawberry field.
Then he became an auctioneer, and eventually owned a small auction house in Fairfield.
And here is the detail that built a fourteen-store chain: between auctions, customers would wander around looking at the merchandise waiting to be sold.
Harold "Mickey" Marden noticed that people enjoyed the browsing as much as the bidding.
In 1964 he opened a store. His stated philosophy was six words long.