Worsley's opened for business in Butler on March 17, 1927, when A.E. Worsley, Sr. leased a wallpaper department in the Troutman building. Worsley's moved from the Troutman building to Cunningham Street in 1945.

Worsley's made the move in 1963 to its current location at 157-161 N. Main St.

At the turn of the century this corner of Main and North Streets was rented by Hop's Chinese Laundry. In 1902, the Standard Steel Car Co. built the building that houses Worsley's today.

In 1974, Worsley's became a corporation, but continued to be run and operated by the Worsley family. To accommodate the growth of the business, Worsley's expanded into the former Butler Office Products building in 1976, and added waterbeds, finished furniture and dolls to the stock.

The company expanded in 1984, buying the former Furniture Galleries Warehouse building at 113 E. Wayne St. When Shearer Hardware at 155 N. Main Street closed in 1996, Worsley's expanded there.

Seventy years of hard work was nearly wiped out on Feb 7, 1997, when Worsley's Warehouse on East Wayne Street caught fire, destroying the building and its contents.

Worsley's continues to be run by the family — Albert, Jr., his wife, Lorraine; their daughters, Keri and Cheryl along with many of the extended family and associates.

Worsley's still specializes in wallpaper and paint, and carries a large inventory of finished and unfinished furniture, dolls, and collectibles.

Here are some significant dates in the company's past:

March 17, 1927 — A.E. Worsley Sr. opened a wallpaper store. Wallpaper sold from 2 cents to $1.25 per single roll. Freight cars brought in full loads of wallpaper which were off loaded at Oesterlings. Young men were hired to carry up to Troutmans.

1935 — Al Worsley Sr. opened his second store, The Empire Wallpaper Co., where part of the Penn Theater is located. Paint was added, which sold for $1.19 a gallon.

1947 — The building was sold, so the business was moved to Cunningham Street. It employed three people.

1963 — Worsley's moved from Cunningham Street to its present location at 157-161 N. Main Street. Three people were employed at this time, Albert Worsley, Jr., his mother Anna, and his wife Lorraine.

March 10, 1969 — Worsley's buys the building from Jane and Cecelia Pillow.

1974 — Worsley's became a corporation. Albert E Worsley, Jr., president; Lorraine K. Worsley, vice president; Keri Worsley Dolan, secretary, and Cheryl Worsley, treasurer.

September 1975 — Worsley's expanded to the former Butler Office Products building, adding waterbeds, finished furniture and dolls.

1977 — Worsley's opened a store in Warren, Pa., that was managed by a family friend who lived in Warren.

March 31, 1983 — The Warren store was sold.

Jan. 5 1984 — Worsley's purchased the former Furniture Galleries Warehouse building at 113 E. Wayne St., expanding to outdoor furniture. This location employed three people.

August 1990 — Worsley's rented a store at Cran-Mar Plaza in Cranberry Township. Featuring dolls, bears and other collectibles. This store was managed by Jean Grimm and two other employees.

1991 — Dolls and collectibles proved to be so popular that the Cran-Mar location was soon outgrown. The store was relocated to a larger store in the Gigliotti Plaza. This store employees seven people.

July 19, 1996 — Shearer Hardware at 153-155 N. Main St. closed and Worsley's expanded there. Dolls, bears and collectibles found a new home.

Feb, 7. 1997 — That day proved to be one will never be forgotten by the Worsley family and their employees. This was the day of the fire that destroyed the warehouse.

Worsley's now employs 11 people and are in their fourth generation of managing the business. We are now joining the computer age and can be found on the Web at www.Worsleys.com.