John H. Barkley came to Miami, Florida, from Quitman, Georgia, in 1915. Soon after, he met and married Mattie Smith. John worked at various jobs, including the Royal Palm Ice Company and a local fish market, but his dream was to own a business.

The Barkleys saved the money and their first venture was a grocery store, the Piggly Wiggly. The store opened in 1924 in a building on the corner of N.W.15^th Street and 5^th Court. The building was called the Blanche (named for their daughter) and housed the grocery downstairs, a rooming house and the Barkley’s living quarters upstairs.

After four years as a grocery, John converted the business into a five and dime store in 1928. He also began purchasing property and acquired six rentals houses. However, during the thirties, the Barkleys lost most of these properties. John then took a job in private services and again the couple began saving to recapture their dreams.

Through perseverance and discipline, they later opened a poultry market on N.W. 1st Avenue and 15^th Street. Later they moved the business to 441 N.W. 15^th Street. In 1940 they started the sundry store (pictured above) at 1201 N.W. 3^rd Avenue. They Lamont Building were owned by the Gulf Oil Company. This venture was so successful that they purchased the entire structure in 1944. At the time, the building’s purchase was one of the biggest real estate transactions ever in the Washington Height area of (Colored Town) Overtown. It had five stores on the ground floor and fourteen rooms on the second floor. John later expanded the size and capacity of the building.

Still serving the Overtown community with the drug store, Barkley began developing property in the Liberty City area. He constructed a home for his family on N.W. 67^th Street and a mixed- use building at 1553 N.W. 62^nd Street. One of the businesses at this location was a family-run dress shop called Blanche’s Little Department Store. The store was named after the Barkley’s daughter, Blanche.

Between 1955 and 1957, the Barkleys built their dream home in Brownsville. Barkley and his wife retired from the daily operation of their businesses in 1965, but continued to run J.H. Barkley Investment & Real Estate Management until they passed in 1979 and 1980, respectively.

Photograph description: circa 1940s, L-R: employee of Barkley's Sundry Store, Mattie Barkley, employee, Blanche Barkley, employee, employee, John Barkley, Genitha Barkley Welch.