Year Erected: 2026
Marker Text: Hardware store executives Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank founded The Home Depot after being fired from a California home improvement company in 1978. With help from investment banker Ken Langone, merchant Pat Farrah, and first finance officer Ron Brill, Marcus and Blank opened the first two The Home Depot stores in Atlanta on June 22, 1979. The Home Depot revolutionized the home improvement industry by offering both do-it-yourself customers and professional contractors a wide selection of merchandise, low prices, and stores staffed by customer-service experts. Pioneering the large retail shopping experience, the warehouses created a true one-stop shopping experience for home improvement across North America.
Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and The Home Depot
Tips for Finding This Marker: Near The Home Depot Store Support Center, 2455 Paces Ferry Rd SE, in Atlanta.
Learn more about this marker:
- Business History Initiative Markers(opens in new tab)
- Business History Resource: A State of Innovation: Home Depot
- Artifact: Home Depot Apron
- Today in Georgia History: Home Depot - June 22
- Georgia at the US250: From the Collections of the Georgia Historical Society: Georgia's Iconic Companies