the iconic F.W. WOOLWORTH COMPANY!
Yep the good ole Woolworth's.
The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's, or Woolworth) was a retail company that was one of the original pioneers, and arguably the most successful American and international five-and-dime stores, setting trends and creating the modern retail model which stores follow worldwide today.
The first Woolworth store was opened by Frank Winfield Woolworth on February 22, 1878, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" in Utica, New York. Though it initially appeared to be successful, the store soon failed. Searching for a new location, a friend suggested Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Using the sign from the Utica store, Frank opened his first successful "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" on July 18, 1879, in Lancaster. Frank brought his brother, Charles Sumner Woolworth, into the business.
The two Woolworth brothers pioneered and developed merchandising, direct purchasing, and sales and customer service practices commonly used today. Despite growing to be one of the largest retail chains in the world through most of the 20th century, increased competition led to its decline beginning in the 1980's. The chain went out of business in July 1997, when the company decided to focus on the Foot Locker division and renamed itself Venator Group. By 2001, the company focused exclusively on the sporting goods market, changing its name to the present Foot Locker, Inc.
It helped changed the world honestly. Revolutionized commerce and convenience for everyone. Created jobs and made everything available to the masses. And it was affordable. Not just a shop where almost everything could be found. Akin the the local General Store it offered a meeting place that friends got together to view the wares on the shelves and do some window shopping. A lunch counter was also a focal point. Yes it became a major focal point for the civil rights in the 60's too. And I will include a little YouTube video to mark that moment to be fair. But this post is far from a rant on equality I assure you.
We take so many things for granted just because it's there and we learn to get used to it, embrace it ( sometimes grudgingly I admit lol ) But before a host of Walmart stores took over everything and a few Dollar Stores down on the corner of our respective towns or cities we must look back and remember where they came from. Did you know old Sam Walton didn't start out with the superstore.
Walmart started its existence as a chain of Ben Franklin franchises run by Sam Walton. Apparently the franchise agreement was pretty liberal on naming requirements, as they were run as "Walton's Five and Dime." The 5 & 10's survived for a while after the Wal-Mart discount stores opened, and operated independently of the Ben Franklin system after that point. Wal-Mart was started as a proof-of-concept mode discount store to be affiliated with the Ben Franklin system, but Sam Walton withdrew from the system over disagreements regarding buying product outside of the BF system.
I'm from the country and I like it that way so I had to add that one lol.
But since I an romanticizing the past here I have another for ya. I think if you click and give it a listen you would agree with the spirit of this blog. See it isn't just about a place or just a person. It is about the memories we can all share and look back with a smile and fondness of that bygone era. Without it where would we be now, if at all? So give her a listen and let the words paint you a memory, maybe your grandparents, or theirs..who knows..maybe one of those old stores was where the magic happened...
I hope you enjoyed that. And here is another classic from wayback from the iconic Bing Crosby!
I do miss those times, even ones I wasn't around yet to experience. Makes me feel like I missed out> I hope some readers drop in and read this here blog that were fortunate enough to experience those times. And I would dearly like a comment and share some stories or memories of your Woolworth's adventures. Maybe a related memory stemming from a chance encounter or a story handed down from there. Maybe it is where someone's folks met for the first time, or maybe a relative's first job..anything. Just a story from the past you would like to drop into the time capsule that is this blog...remember the past forever. I say remember our past and fight for our future in the present. Let this be that one small step.
Now I will include that YouTube video remembering the iconic for better or worse..sit in at the old Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960's
Yep Woolworth's was quite an icon in good and bad. What I wanted to do with this post was bring the good memories to light but warranted a respectful nod to things not quite so great. I won't appologize for this being a bit long winded and a tad random. Just don't forget the past y'all. And Oh Brother Where Art Thou was awesome flick lol. I remember my granny Roberts seeing it and just cackling, pure enjoyment and the Woolworth brought back a few memories too. She left us some years back and won't get to hear me tell her about this story. I enjoyed researching some things for this one and wish I had paid more attention to the stories handed down to me or overheard as I grew up. It fascinated me and often times made me grin; that being said..
Feel free to share a story or two down below and take care out there folks. Drop back in and see us sometime soon...
