About

1850
1860
1870
1880
1900
1910
1920
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2010
2020
2023
1848
1848

J.J. and S.P. Richards – Books, Music & Fancy Store Jabez and Samuel Richards go into partnership and open first store in Macon, GA

1865
1865

J.J. and S.P. Richards reopen store after Civil War

1870
1870

Paper clips are a HOT NEW ITEM to help offices keep documents more organized.

1878
1878

Downtown Atlanta. Samuel Richards buys out his brother, Jabez, to become primary owner of S.P. Richards.

1885
1885

Crayola is founded and starts selling first crayons to distributors like S.P. Richards

1894
1894

Samuel Richard’s sons, Walter, George & Russell, take over the business

1902
1902

Check written to a Mr. Burbank from George Richards in the amount of $6.50, equivalent in today’s economy to $230.75

1907
1907

S.P. Richards starts offering Royal Typewriters in their line of office products

1910
1910

S.P. Richards truck delivered office supplies and paper to the greater Atlanta area.

1917
1917

The Great Atlanta Fire destroyed 1,938 buildings that spanned 72 city blocks, nearly missing the S.P. Richards warehouse.

1920
1920

S.P. Richards Wholesale Paper Division was launched

1939
1939

Richards brothers sell company to Rhodes Family

1950
1950s

Pink Pearl erasers reach American markets from their German origin. Eraser heads were not added to pencils until 1975.

1956
1956

S.P. Richards started offering Swingline staplers as they become an industry standard for stapler design and dependability.

1960s
1960s

Rolodex contact organizer became a staple on office desks around the U.S.

1968
1968

SP Richards started offering state of the art copy machines, the once infamous household name, Xerox

1975
1975

S.P. Richards acquired by Genuine Parts Company

1985
1985

S.P. Richards now has delivery networks spanning the west to east coast

1990
1990

S.P. Richards opened warehouse distribution centers in more than 10 new cities

1998
1998

S.P. Richards acquired Norwestra, which then became SPR Canada.

2008
2008

S.P. Richards acquired regional wholesalers O’Henry (no, not the candy bar), PPI & Action Wholesale

2009
2009

S.P. Richards launched Business Source® product line

2014
2014

S.P. Richards acquired Garland C. Norris and Impact Products

2019
2019

S.P. Richards’ headquarters and primary distribution center caught fire destroying offices, products and historic records.

2019
2019

S.P. Richards HQ moved to new office building in Wildwood area of greater Atlanta, GA

2019
2019

Southeastern Paper Group acquired Garland C. Norris

2020
2020

Novexco acquired SPR Canada

2020
2020

HIG Capital acquired Impact & Safety Zone

2020
2020

Investor Group led by industry professionals Yancey Jones Sr. and Mike Maggio, acquired S.P. Richards

2023
2023

S.P. Richards acquired by Central National Gottesman Inc.

READY TO WORK WITH US? Reach out now to learn more.

Let our team of associates quickly assess your needs and give you the tools you need to begin utilizing our expansive offering of products and solutions.
  • Phone Number

    888-436-6881

  • Address

    4300 Wildwood Pkwy, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30339

Contact Us