Stinson’s has been doing business in Kern County since 1947 as a family owned and operated independent office supply dealer. Throughout the years our business has grown to include a full-service furniture & design planning team, white-glove furniture delivery & installation, janitorial products, food service & restaurant supplies, and even MRO supplies. Today our service extends throughout California and nationwide. To learn more about the Industries we serve, check out our National Programs page.
Stinson's Over the Years - Growing with the Community
From Groceries to Office Supplies, explore how Stinson's stores have evolved over the years and how we've come full circle today, offering business products, furniture, janitorial, and even drinks and food items again. We're still independently owned and always dedicated to supporting our community.
1916-1932
Ben Stinson Sr. opened a grocery store on the corner of 17th and Chester in downtown Bakersfield, California, eventually expanding to six locations around Kern County. The Great Depression hit hard and the last store closed in 1932. Ben Sr. went on to become an educator and member of the Bakersfield City School District Board of Trustees.
1947
Stinson Stationers was opened at 1214 Baker St by Ben Stinson Jr. and offered 1500 sq ft of office and school supplies. In 1946 there was only one office supply store in Bakersfield. Ben and his wife Mary, both educators, recognized the potential and decided to open their own store. They weren’t the only ones; by 1947 Bakersfield went from having one store to four different independent Office Supply stores.
1952 - 1954
Stinson Stationers expanded and moved down the street to the corner of Baker and Kentucky streets, offering a parking lot for customers and a larger 3500 sq ft sales floor that made space for a new office furniture offering! At the time, “Old Town” Kern was a bustling business hub. That same year in 1952 a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck in Kern County and heavily damaged downtown Bakersfield. Fortunately, the store on Baker was safe and business continued to grow in the following years, soon hiring our first outside sales people to call on customers. 1954 was also the year Ben Jr. purchased our first delivery vehicle – affectionately nicknamed “honey bun.”
1968 - 1970s
Stinsons Stationers grew again, this time moving to 25,000 sq ft at 1108 Baker St - featuring a basement and mezzanine level. In the decade that followed, Ben Stinson III started getting more involved in the day-to-day business and delivery business continued to grow. By this time trucks were delivering as far as Mojave and Ridgecrest.
1980s
Ben Stinson III took over as President from his father in 1981. In 1984, his brother-in-law, Russ Haley, joined the team as Vice President. That same year they expanded to a second store at 4500 Stine Rd, Bakersfield - 12,000 sq ft divided between retail and distribution inventory. There were 4 trucks going out daily picking up from both locations to deliver around Kern County.
1990s
While phone and fax orders drove the business, Ben and Russ took a risk on a new technology known as the Internet. On March 25,1993 they registered the domain Stinsons.com and launched their first website! It wasn’t until the late 90s that online ordering really started to take off.
2000s - A New Millenium
In 2006, Stinson’s expanded to their 3rd property at 200 Sonora St, Bakersfield – a 52,000 sq ft distribution center that allowed us to greatly expand our inventory capacity for everyday items and large furniture installations. Soon after, the location on Stine Rd was converted to a full-time furniture showroom.
2010s
In 2015 the location at 1108 Baker closed its doors – by this time retail was less than 1% of total sales, while our supplies and furniture Account Managers continued to push the business forward. In 2018, Stinson’s acquired local competitor O’Leary’s Office Products and merged our two teams. We continue to be committed to our direct business relationships and superior service and delivery. Today, you can find the original Stinson Stationers sign on display at the Kern County Museum’s Neon Courtyard.
2020s
The pandemic was a rough start to the decade for everyone, but Stinson’s continued to be a valuable resource for our customers and the community and it pushed us to expand our Janitorial focus. Today, we continue to grow our footprint, delivering up the Central Valley to Fresno with our own delivery team. We’ve grown beyond the office to supply “Everything for Your Workplace” - a daily truck could carry copy paper, toner, toilet paper, water, & even grocery items!
