G & M Variety started out as a G.C. Murphy store. Founded in 1906 in McKeesport, Pa., by George Clinton Murphy, the G.C. Murphy Co.™ grew to include more than 500 stores — including the big suburban "Murphy's Marts" — before its acquisition by Ames Department Stores Inc. in 1985. The G.C. Murphy variety stores, or "five-and-tens," survived a little while longer before being absorbed by longtime competitor McCrory Stores. 

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In 1997 the G.C. Murphy store in downtown St Joseph was purchased by Gary and Mary Nicola. Gary, a former district manager for McCrory and Mary, a former merchandise buyer for KMart bought the store with the goal of maintaining the historical and nostalgic feel of the old fashioned dimestore.  Since 1997 it has become a favorite of both local residents and the many tourists who visit the small lake shore town each year.  In the spring of 2020 the business was passed down to their daughter, Melanie and her husband, Matt. Together, they plan to continue the family business while providing a unique shopping experience of times gone by.