He's considered one of the true visionaries in the discount retail marketplace.

In 1970 the company started operating as Consolidated International and Consolidated then launched the Odd Lots/Big Lots closeout chain in 1982.

Consolidated Stores Corp opened up the first in a series of stores like Big Lots under the name of Odd Lots.

The Big Lots chain traces its history back to 1967 when Consolidated Stores Corporation was formed in Ohio by Sol Shenk. Sol A. Shenk, who built a single surplus outlet in Columbus, Ohio, into the Consolidated Stores Corporation, an empire with more than 700 stores … All of this information can be found right here, so have a look around to start shopping at Big Lots today. Sol A. Shenk Sol, a Russian immigrant to the United States, started a business in 1967 selling closeout and overstock car parts. The first store opened by the coporation was called Odd Lots … Sol A. Shenk Big Lots is an American department store chain that retails a broad range of items, among them furniture, clothing, toys, food and beverage, houseware and electronics. About Big Lots:. The company makes its first public offering in 1985 on the American Stock Exchange and introduced the Big Lots … The company was founded by Sol A. Shenk in 1967 and is headquartered in Columbus, OH. Big Lots, Inc. engages in the operation of retail stores. The Big Lots chain traces its history back to 1967 when Consolidated Stores Corporation was formed in Ohio by Sol Shenk. Big Lots was founded by Sol A. Shenk in … In 1970 the company started operating as Consolidated International and Consolidated then launched the Odd Lots/Big Lots closeout chain in 1982. Finally, in 1985 Consolidated Corp started trading on the American Stock Exchange with their first store that they had named Big Lots. Big Lots, Inc. engages in the operation of retail stores. Big Lots - The history. In 1982, Consolidated Stores Corp. opened its first closeout store, called Odd Lots, in Columbus, Ohio. The business, Consolidated Stores, took off when Sol switched to household goods. His auto parts wholesale shop in 1967 had transformed into a $1 billion business by the time of his death in 1994. [2] Its department stores sell a wide variety of merchandise, including packaged food and beverages, toys, furniture, clothing, housewares, and small electronics, much of which is closed out or overstocked merchandise. They offer various products which you can get at a discounted price, including brand-name home furnishings, foods, furniture, and other items that you use on a daily basis. Big Lots was established in 1967 by Sol Shenk, starting out with a focus in auto parts. Big Lots was set up in 1967 by Sol Shenk, an interesting character with a passion for closeout sales and auto parts – there’s actually a pretty funny story of how this passion of his resulted in him having 100 DMC-12 DeLorean’s stuck in Irish Storage Unit when they went bust, but that’s a tale for another day! Founded in 1967 by Sol Shenk, the store has become known for selling top brands at deep discounts. It operates through the Discount Retailing segment which includes merchandising categories such as furniture, seasonal, soft home, food, consumables, hard home, and electronics, toys, and accessories. BIG: Get the latest Big Lots stock price and detailed information including BIG news, historical charts and realtime prices. “The Big Lots chain traces its history back to 1967 when Consolidated Stores Corporation was formed in Ohio by Sol Shenk.