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In 1056, the Banks- Miller Supply Co. opened a new $500,00
warehouse
and sales office at 330 3rd. Ave.
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HUNTINGTON -- What became the Banks-Miller Supply Co.
was founded in 1894 by Maban A. Hobson
and E. Howard Smith under the name Smith-Hobson-Brandt Co.
Its original location was the 2 1/2 Alley at 9th Street.
In 1897, the company was purchased by J.G. Tinsley of Virginia
and his son-in-law J.C. Miller,
and its name was changed to the Miller Supply Co. The company remained at its
original
location for a short time and then moved to 2nd Avenue just east of 9th Street.
In 1905, Major W. H. Banks established the Banks Supply Co. In
1924 he merged
his firm and Miller Supply into what became the Banks-Miller Supply Co.
For many years Banks-Miller was the oldest and largest
distributor of mining and
industrial machinery in the region, serving customers throughout southern
West Virginia, southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky.
In 1956, the company built a new $500,000 warehouse and sales
office at 330 3rd Ave.
A newspaper article described the 82,000-square-foot structure as
"an industrial department store," offering thousands of items
from hundreds of manufacturers.
The building featured what surely must have been one of the
longest sales counters in the world.
At 235 feet, it was so long that it was departmentalized with separate
doors leading from the
street to each section. In addition to its Huntington facility, Banks-Miller
had offices in South Charleston, Pineville and Williamson.
In 1977, Banks-Miller was merged into the Tidewater Supply Co.
The merged company continued
to operate in Huntington for the next few years but ultimately closed. Today,
there's still a
Banks-Miller Supply Co. but it's located in Martin County, Kentucky, not
Huntington.
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Note: This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Dec. 26, 2016
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