Three thousand people lived in Bentonville, Arkansas in the 1950s, long before it became identified with the largest corporation in the world. Sam and Helen Walton were just ordinary townsfolk operating a Five and Ten. The corner drugstore sold ice cream sundaes and shakes. And churchgoers prayed every Sunday for their boys to come home from Korea, although young Michael Knott didn't know where Korea was. In this engaging memoir, Michael looks back at a childhood far different from those experienced by most children today. He writes about being a curious little kid, wandering around his neighborhood and downtown Bentonville. He recalls a rich cast of characters with unique personalities, idiosyncrasies, and compelling stories to tell. It was the age before television, when people's lives developed in unscripted, less conformist ways. Rather than clicking a remote control, children imagined and explored their worlds. While not immune to life's tragedies, it was a simpler, less complicated time of relative innocence. Bentonville Before Wal-Mart is one man's record of rural, small town, 1950s America. Some of Michael's stories are mischievous or comical. Others are ironic and sad. But all possess warmth and charm, and a young boy's realization of lessons learned.