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In 1946, the company founder, Wayland Cato, left United Merchants to launch his own business in Charlotte with his sons, Wayland Henry Cato, Jr., and Edgar Thomas.
Five main-street stores were opened in the first year, with two more being opened in 1947. Earnings for that year were $404,000. The company continued to open stores through the 1950s, including some in shopping centers.
The company went public in 1968, took itself private in 1980, then went public again in 1987. Early in the 1990s, the business avoided bankruptcy by implementing a new discount pricing strategy and updating its inventory.
Cato stores are typically located in strip malls anchored by a national discounter like Walmart.