It started as a struggling young enterprise in an old cotton warehouse located on the banks of the Cooper River at the foot of Pritchard Street in Charleston, South Carolina. It was the beginning of a dream long envisioned by its founder, Joseph T. Newton, Jr. in 1947. Having lived through the Great Depression, and the deprivations of World War II, Joe Newton knew the meaning of hard work and personal sacrifice. As the war ended, he was a young married man with a growing family. Merchandising, and the grocery business in particular, were his trade. He worked hard, long hours as a butcher to make a living to support his young family. It occurred to him that there should be a central source to supply grocery stores with all their needs, rather than each store having to deal with twenty or more different suppliers for their merchandise. He was convinced that with a central buying office, he could bargain for lower prices on volume purchases from all suppliers and supply stores at lower costs.

Having scrimped and saved every penny possible during those early years, Joe Newton set out to purchase a Piggly Wiggly Grocery Franchise from Piggly Wiggly Corporation. One by one, he convinced owners of small grocery stores to join the franchise, and very soon the round sign with the smiling Pig’s head became a familiar landmark throughout South Carolina and later in Savannah, Georgia. As each journey begins with one step at a time, so it was with Piggly Wiggly Wholesale. The little warehouse operation had a mere handful of employees. Joe Newton called on stores and continued calling on others to join. There was one delivery truck and workdays that stretched far into the night. Joe Newton quickly saw the wisdom of having his son-in-law, Burt Schools, with his educational background, join the business in 1958. His instincts were right on target as Burt Schools’ contributions in the financial end of the business played a key role in its phenomenal growth and success.

Plans were in the works to move from the old cotton warehouse building on Pritchard Street to a larger and much nicer building in North Charleston in September of 1959. Joe Newton was a partner in the grocery business in Columbia. In the mid-1960’s he bought out Piggly Wiggly Carolina and combined it with his business in Charleston, Piggly Wiggly Wholesale, changing the name to Piggly Wiggly Carolina. This was a huge leap and added thirty stores from Columbia and the surrounding area. The company in Columbia had also started a produce company and it continued to be based in Columbia until 1986 when it was moved to Charleston. Under Joe Newton’s guidance and leadership, Piggly Wiggly Carolina, and the name Piggly Wiggly, soon became household words, known for its national brands, fair prices and friendly service. Customers in ever-growing numbers depended on the original self-service supermarket for their total food needs. Joe Newton was gifted at enlisting the services of some of the most dedicated employees in shaping the growing company into, not only the friendliest place in town to shop, but also the most generous in returning a sizable portion of the company’s earnings into each community in which Piggly Wiggly operated.