About Us

JW Bell's story begins with our founder John William Bell, an entrepreneur at heart. In 1929, JW opened his first store on Route 4 in Lattimore, NC. Appropriately, he named it The Route 4 Store. Here, JW offered an array of products while providing the best of service.

      

JW opened The Route 4 Store during one of the most difficult economic periods in United States history. He witnessed the local community's struggles and felt he needed to offer more. In 1931 JW created Bell’s Rolling Stores, what we refer to as "the original pop-up". During the 1930s and WWII, JW's trucks serviced rural communities in Western North Carolina. Given his vision and foresight, JW was a business leader in his community and he continued to operate his business the only way he knew how; serve and deliver.

 

For more than 94 years, the Bell family and its partners have focused on the retail business, relying upon JW’s founding principles as their guide. Today, JW Bell’s offerings include finely tailored clothing, luxury shirting, and performance sportswear, along with the most refined accessories and shoes. JW Bell’s clothing is exclusively in company-owned retail stores and online at www.jw-bell.com.

    

JW Bell is headquartered in and distributed from Asheville, North Carolina.

- Pictured below JW's son John William Bell Jr. (Bill) -