Sylvanus V. Barker Opens The Bee Hive on Court Street, Ushering In One-Of-A-Kind Variety Store
Back when downtown Watertown was THE place to shop, there were a variety of stores, and then there was The Bee Hive, the variety store on Court Street that had just about everything for everyone. The success of the store lasted two generations and would have survived urban renewal and more had it not been for the retirement of Ross W. Barker, born just two years before the store originally opened, and the lack of an heir to take it over.
The Bee Hive was the brainchild of Sylvanus V. Barker, a Northern New Yorker born in Rossie, St. Lawrence County, approximately eight miles from Redwood. The son of Sylvanus and Belinda Crowner Barker, Sylvanus was born June 16, 1855, one of nine children to a farming family. At about the age of eight, he moved with the family to Black River, and later to Sterlingville, one of the former villages that was seized by the United States government for the creation of what is today Fort Drum.
After schooling, Sylvanus remained in the Sterlingville area and became an apprentice to a carriage maker. The Watertown Daily Times wrote of his experience in his obituary–
He spent nearly five years learning the wagon making business before going to Carthage where he worked at the trade for Manley Loomis. In 1879 Mr. Barker joined Montgomery Clark in the wagon making business. The partners founded a business in Philadelphia known as Clark & Barker. Mr. Clark was a blacksmith by trade.
After several years in the business, Sylvanus sold his interest and moved to Syracuse, where he entered the grocery business with Egbert Wilmot, uncle to his future wife, Jennie L. Wilmot. While the business only lasted a year, the marriage lasted a lifetime. With his new wife, Sylvanus V. Barker then relocated to Auburn, N.Y., and established a variety merchandise store, The Bargain Store.
After seven years in Auburn operating the business, the Barkers moved to Watertown in 1894. Sylvanus opened their store at 32 Court Street, later renumbered to 144 when the city’s addresses were all converted. The Bee Hive officially opened shortly before The Globe Store, though some records have the former opening in 1892 as opposed to 1894; nevertheless, the two would eventually be separated by a short walk while enjoying longstanding business.
To get an idea of the variety of goods carried at The Bee Hive, their first advertisement in 1894 noted–
Our variety is endless. The following will give you some idea of the line goods we carry:
Hosiery
Handkerchiefs
Towels
Towelling
Napkins
Mittens
Gloves
Children’s Furs
Bolding Bros. Silkes in all shades
Dress Trimmings
Hamburgs
Fancy goods
Toys
Games
Books
Dolls
Boy’s Express Wagons
Doll Carriages
Children’s Chairs
Rocking Horses, and hundreds of other goods.
Housing furnishing goods. We have the largest line in the city, and our specials in this department for Tomorrow will convince you that we are here for business.
The Bee Hive then opened in late October/early November and was the only one of its kind in the city. According to the Watertown Daily Times obituary for son Ross in the Dec. 4, 1974 edition, the name Bee Hive came from a store in Auburn, which caught Ross’s mother’s attention. The timing couldn’t have been better, either, as Watertown was booming—which meant business was, too.
Both grew rapidly and in March of 1897, The Bee Hive opened an additional store adjoining the original and then renovated the interior so as to build an archway between the spaces. Much like The Globe, further expansions were necessary and in 1924, Sylvanus V. Barker expanded into 150 Court Street, giving him three storefronts in the same building, making it the largest store of its kind in the area.
During his forty-one years as President of The Bee Hive through 1935, Sylvanus maintained a number of long-term employees who undoubtedly contributed to his success. Even after retiring and turning over the store to his son Ross, and son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. (Evelyn M. Barker) Shafer, he continued to be a presence in the store on occasion until a few weeks before his death at his longtime home, 657 Boyd Street, on August 31, 1939.
Sylvanus V. Barker left behind an estate worth $200,000, or $4,493,985.61 in 2024 currency.
Ross continued to operate the store successfully, much like his father did, retaining employees for long periods of time over the course of his 30 years as President. Charles A. Shafer managed the Chinaware and arts departments until his retirement in 1947, with George C. Whiteford succeeding him while acquiring an interest in the S. V. Barker Company, The Bee Hive’s parent company, until his death in 1962.
While urban renewal was taking shape in the downtown section between Court and Arsenal Streets, it’s doubtful it played a role in Ross Barker’s decision to retire—he was 82 years of age by the time the store closed in 1965—but, at least for the time, the demolition and construction would undoubtedly hamper shopping traffic had it remained open. Instead, Mr. Barker opted not to renew the lease and enjoy retirement.
Born in Sterlingville in 1883, Ross would never marry, enter the management of The Bee Hive in 1907, and reside with the family at 657 Boyd St. and afterward, until his death in 1974. According to his obituary—
Mr. Barker served 34 years on the board of trustees of the Watertown Savings Bank, being first elected Feb. 8, 1936, succeeding Harold W. Conde. In November, 1957, he resigned as director of the Savings and Loan Association of Watertown, Inc., after 31 years of service.
He also served two consecutive terms as president of the Watertown Chamber of Commerce, being elected first in February, 1949, succeeding the late Horace C. Gulick. He was elected chairman of the retail division governing board of the chamber in 1935.
Mr. Barker’s estate was worth $600,000, or $3,801,200.81 in 2024 currency, with the majority going to his surviving sister and the rest to numerous charities.
Today, the building that housed The Bee Hive, then known as the Angel Block, is home to Abbey Carpet.
