John Wesley Vallance was the son of Henry Green and Elizabeth Gallahue Vallance. He was raised on the Vallance Family Farm in Plaska,Texas by his step mother Anna Pearl Vallance. He was the husband of Emma Vallance and had one son Herman Vallance. He owned and operated several Vallance Food Stores in different towns. His time was spent mostly in the two Vallance Food Stores in Memphis, Texas.

John Wesley Vallance began his career as a grocery man on 1 December 1919 when he and his brother, J.H. Vallance purchased a general merchandise store at Lodge from D.S. Peden. Mr. Vallance recalled that sometime later, the name Lodge was changed to Plaska to obtain a post office. The Vallance brothers bought the Walker Brothers Grocery store in Memphis on 1 December 1924. In June of 1925, they dissolved the store and J.W. Vallance established the "M" System Store at Memphis. He began to extend his operations in 1928 when he opened another "M" System store in Clarendon and 1929, he established a similar store at Hedley. In December 1933, he moved the "M" System store in Memphis to the east side of the square. In 1934, J.W. Vallance purchased the Piggly Wiggly Store in Wellington and operated that store until 1943 when he sold the store. From 1929-1934, he owned and operated stores at Estelline, Eli, and Lakeview. His son, Herman Vallance, grew up in the stores. His son's first experience came in 1925 when he was nine years old, he began sacking potatoes for his father. J.W. Vallance came to his son a promotion in 1925 as the official delivery boy for the Memphis Store. Herman Vallance moved to Wellington in 1934 and managed the store there for two years. His son returned to Memphis to manage the store with his father until he called into the US Air Force during World War II.

In 1947, J.W. Vallance built a building on the southeast corner of Memphis Square to set up another store.