Day One Thousand and Twenty-Nine

The First Ever Wal Mart

I met Tiffany two years ago and we became instant friends.

As I got to know her, one of the first things I learned about the pretty girl was that she was born and raised in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Small town country girl. Love it!

What I soon found out about the small town girl from the small town of Bentonville was that actually, this was no teeny tiny insignificant town in the middle of nowhere. 

Bentonville is the home of…Wal Mart!!

Sam Walton called this cutest little country town his home his whole life. He got this big idea for a store  and walked all around town asking residents to invest in his company…and that he'd make them a lot of money in the future. Some invested. Some slammed the door in his face. Years later, he'd make those people a whole lot more money than they probably ever imagined. And those who slammed the door on him, well, maybe they've learned that slamming doors isn't a nice gesture.

Above is a photo of Bentonville Square, where the very first WalMart (called Walton's then) was ever built. 

Inside the Waltons, everything looks exactly as it did when the store first opened in 1950. Everything is also sold at the exact same prices.

So cute! Tiff and I had to buy something, so we got ourselves five pieces of taffy. 

All the same candy they sold in 1950!

Sam wanted to keep this store as a sort of museum and tribute to the olden days, before his dream finally took off. He did a lot for the town of Bentonville, including:

Opening this parlor, where they sell Wal Mart brand ice cream. Truthfully: the best ice cream I've ever eaten. Blackberry Cobbler. Worth every ounce of my first cheat while starting Paleo again!

There's also the official Wal Mart museum, where they document the story of the Waltons and their massive corporation success over the years. In the small town - which is growing at a massive rate and dearly loves their Wal Mart heritage - there's only one grocery store that isn't a Wal Mart…it's a Whole Foods. Bentonville actually, is one of the fastest growing towns in all the country and their economy is booming like never before. It's a mixture of rich history and new, exciting growth. Homes and businesses are going up at an astounding rate, and Tiffany even said that Adam and I would make the most perfect neighbors ;)

Oh, also, Sam's daughter loved art.

So, he donated 15 million dollars to a brand new Crystal Bridges Museum, which houses this famous painting! His kind donation makes it possible for every tourist to enter the museum for free. 

This guy was my favorite.

He's a statue…thing.

But I'll bet you thought he was a real man!

This town is awesome. The perfect mix of country and city and I've really enjoyed myself. Adam might just have to make a little trip out here to see it himself!

I have a whole new perspective of WalMart and am thankful I got to visit such a sweet town and learn about such a sweet story of pursuing the American Dream.