WOOLWORTH'S (5 & 10 CENT STORE)



I walked into a Woolworth's recently and everything was on sale. The

entire chain is going out of business in the United States.

Woolworth's was the "five and ten cent store" where you could find a

million-dollar baby. "Nickel and dime" later became derogatory.

The DICTIONARY OF AMERICANISMS has a 1940 Saturday Evening Post citation

that gives "'Woolworth Bros. 5 & 10 Cent Store" to 1880. This is indeed

correct. According to SKYLINE QUEEN AND THE MERCHANT PRINCE: THE

WOOLWORTH

STORY by John P. Nichols (1973), Frank W. Woolworth began selling "Yankee

notions" at a county fair for five cents each. This was so successful that

on 22 February 1879 in Utica, New York, Woolworth opened his first "Great

5-cent Store." In 1880, the store at 170 North Queen Street, Lancaster,

Pennsylvania became his first Five-and-Ten.

I've always been a fan of New York City's Woolworth Building. I told

them I was serious about buying it and had lots of change in my pants.



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