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Last night I was thinking about dollar stores and I realized they are basically like the old five and ten's I knew as a child.
That got me wondering how many on here remember the five and ten, and also stores like Woolworth, Grants, Kresgees. Those were around where we were and came before the stores like K-mart and Bradlees which are also now mostly gone.
As a child, going into a five and dime was a real adventure - so much crowded into the store! You could find ANYTHING there and yes, you could find something to buy with even a little change if it was burning a hole in your pocket.
I was going to post the same thing. Not everything in there was only a nickel or dime, though; they were like mini department stores. But you couldn't find some of the practically disposable tools, kitchenware and whatnot (stuff dollar stores sell) anywhere.
My most cherished retail memory was the local Woolworth's 5 & 10 in the early '60s. Magic, simple as that. Wooden floors, soda fountain, bins of candy. Now it's a CVS.
My most cherished retail memory was the local Woolworth's 5 & 10 in the early '60s. Magic, simple as that. Wooden floors, soda fountain, bins of candy. Now it's a CVS.
That's wild, my hometown Woolworth's also became a CVS. I loved Woolworth's. It was the only place I could afford to buy Christmas gifts for my family of 9 on my babysitting earnings. Dad was always grateful for that new comb!
Last night I was thinking about dollar stores and I realized they are basically like the old five and ten's I knew as a child.
That got me wondering how many on here remember the five and ten, and also stores like Woolworth, Grants, Kresgees. Those were around where we were and came before the stores like K-mart and Bradlees which are also now mostly gone.
How many remember the old stores?
As a kid growing up in Miami back early 70's, I used to walk a couple of blocks to the Navy Surplus Store and a Ten Cent Store...if memory does not fail me...on 8th street (Calle Ocho) and 19th Ave. They were about next to each other and you could find just about anything from sporting goods, clothing, cards, etc... Now days, I believe the place is a parking lot surrounded by a cell phone store and other businesses.
Remember the Woolworth as well...those were the days.
For a little tyke the awesome thrill was looking up and watching the money transfer. Overhead wires had that tube which the handwritten order and payment were placed, then launched to the cashier cage. Appeared the space age was created in my small hometown five and ten. Watching it zoom back, completion of the sale, added to the experience.
I remember my grandmother taking my sister and me to the "downtown" Woolworth's. This was the early 80s. Sometimes it was to Christmas shop, and we'd each get $5 to spend. My sister would find something right away, but I would annoy everyone because it took me forever to make a decision. We took the bus from my grandmother's neighborhood about 10 minutes from downtown, and it was such an adventure. I remember being fascinated by the escalators - the 2nd floor was the fabric section. Sometimes we ate at the lunch counter. I vividly remember my first club sandwich there, and also open-faced turkey sandwiches. And then when we'd get back to their house, my grandfather would say "Who's there?"
And my grandmother would always say "It's just us chickens!"
Miss them both.
That Woolworth's is a one-story Walgreen's now, but the facade still has the Woolworth's lettering.
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