The other day, I saw a title of a book that surprised me:
What surprised me was that the book takes place in England and I had never thought of all the places there might be Woolworth (or Woolco) stores.
I loved Woolworth. I walked to the store in Bethlehem (photos above) for my sewing supplies. Later one would open at the mall and I would go there too. The Bethlehem store was my favorite. It had been opened in 1892 and had the original hardwood floors and an old world scent that I loved.
Frank Winfield Woolworth is credited as inventing the Five and Dime Stores. Woolworth's Five and Dime store would later be matched with similar stores like Ben Franklin, Newberry's, and McCory's, etc.
I suppose some people will tell me that they were the walmart of those days but it wasn't the same thing. There was a charm to our old Woolworth and the clerks were kind and helpful.
Who remembers this--protests to desegregate Woolworths?
Protests apparently didn't happen in our region. The main population in our valley was white Pennsylvania Dutch folk. Still there were many areas in our state that were ordered to end segregation. I don't remember much about these events but it's an important chapter of the story of Woolworth's.
When I was young, I loved little dolls like the ones above that Nana would buy me at Woolworth's. As an older child and an embroiderer, it was still safe enough for me to walk to the Woolworths.
Did you buy your craft supplies at a five and dime store?
I bought all my embroidery supplies at Woolworth's and even bought records there in my early teens. Later I would also get my knitting tools there as well. One of my first teenaged jobs was at Woolworth's.
What do you remember about five and dime stores?
Have a safe and happy day!
We had a Woolworth's in our local shopping in Rochester, NY, when I was growing up, too. I remember walking there with friends when my parents thought we were old enough. And those little dolls ring a bell, too! When we moved here to Colorado, we would go to Ben Franklin. Do you think they were the precursor to the Dollar Stores of today?
ReplyDeleteI remember going into the five and dime in Fort Worth, TX. It was in an area called Ridglea in West Fort Worth. This store sold all sorts of things, but I recall going there to get embroidery kits including cross stitch. This gave me the warmest feeling.
ReplyDeleteI should have said that the stores with the chicks, turtles, etc., were dime stores, not necessarily Woolworth's.
ReplyDeleteSome of my earliest memories are from the Woolworth store on Main St. of my town. I would go there with my "mama" to pick out a coloring book. Later, as teenagers, we would stop there on our way home from school for a snack or a drink at the lunch counter. Good Memories!
ReplyDeleteWe had a store in our downtown called 'Maley's which is similar to Woolworths. I used to buy stamped embroidery projects there to embroider. My sister always bought a pound of chocolate covered peanuts every week. The old wooden floors had a wonderful creak to them. This store is now an antique market and those floors still have the same creak. Alas, so many of the antiques in the store are items I used and grew up with, I guess I'm an antique also.
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