On June 21, 1927, W. P. Blackwell, South Carolina Secretary of State, approved a charter for the Denmark Five and Ten Cent Store of Denmark, South Carolina. Officers of the store, initially capitalized at $5,000, were David Ness (1903-1940), president, his father, Morris Ness (1887-1975), vice-president, and Mrs. M. B. Heinemann, secretary and treasurer.