The company was started by Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg. They had opened a general store in Beaconsfield, Iowa, in 1930. In 1938, the company changed their name to Hyde & Vredenburg, Inc. Hyde & Vredenburg had 15 stores in Iowa and Missouri at that time. In 1945, Hyde & Vredenburg moved its headquarters from Lamoni to Chariton, Iowa, after buying the Chariton Wholesale Company. 