Like many great stories, ours started with a big idea. In 1924, Morris (M.B.) Zale, William Zale and Ben Lipshy opened the first Zales Jewelers in Wichita Falls, Texas. To make high-quality products more accessible, they introduced an innovative credit plan of a penny down and a dollar a week. This approach proved to be successful and led to 12 stores across Texas and Oklahoma by 1941.