The business of James Lister & Sons Limited began in 1874 when a local school teacher, James Lister, who was 37 years old at the time, opened an ironmonger’s shop in Tipton, West Midlands, with the idea to provide a future for his three sons. His wife ran the shop initially until it was able to support the family and then James quit teaching and moved into the business full-time. After only a few years he took on another shop in West Bromwich.
