Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Woolworth

When I found this menu it took me back to a time when I would get a cherry coke or a ice cream at the cafe' within the store. It was one of my favorite places to go. My Mother would buy fabric or yarn most of the time. I remember the money would go into a tube of some kind and go up to a person on the second floor...that was really cool. This menu is from the 1950's. They had penny candy and popcorn too, it was fun looking at the glass jars of goodies. I can remember making that popcorn last all day. You could smell it the minute you came through the door. My Grandpa loved the cafe', he would be with us sometimes...he would get a cup of coffee, they filled it over and over for the price of the first cup. My little sister almost always had a little brown bag of candy when we got home, Grandpa loved to by candy for us kids. If you had a quarter, it got ya a lot. I remember when Mama decided we could have a couple of Turtles. You could smell the Hamsters, the fish and the turtles as you went toward the back of the store. She bought a glass or plastic bowl with a island with a Palm tree in the middle. You put water in the bowl and they could swim or go up on the island. We thought they were really cute, gathered flies to feed them. I know we named them but I can't remember the names. Our cat was interested in them too, so we had to keep watch over them. We had gold fish too, the bowl was always cloudy, you could hardly see them. We would get all nerves when they would flop onto the floor while cleaning the bowl. It was always sad when you found one floating on it's back in the bowl, Mama would flush the poor things down the toilet, I thought that was wrong, just wrong. So here is my little memories of the Woolworth...I hope you are having a wonderful day.
Click on page to enlarge...

13 comments:

Twyla and Lindsey said...

Oh, I have many memories of Woolworth's too! I used to ride the bus with my bestfriend and we'd have such fun at Woolworth's. We bought little colored bottles there. We had quite a collection. I miss stores like these. Have a nice week! Twyla

Lynn Cohen said...

We must be close in age, as I have so many of the same or similiar memories.

The money rolls were in our department stores as well!!! Where we bought clothes.

I loved sitting at the soda fountain counter. And all the little tiny toys for pennies around the outer aisles of the store.

Lena said...

Oh what great memories. I loved Woolworths as a child. My favorite meal was a grilled cheese sandwich, crinkle fries, and a coke. It never changed, not once. I really miss the old dime stores and soda fountains.

Bandit's Pack said...

Look at those prices!! What a great find, Mary.

The Feathered Nest said...

Such wonderful memories sweet Mary!!! I have similar ones myself with some of my favorite stores we would visit. Those were the good ol' days!!! I hope Arney had a wonderful birthday, such a sweet photo of you both! hugs and love, Dawn

Celestial Charms said...

Lovely memories for you. I too cherished Woolworths. An American tradition for many of us. It was my favorite store as a child. Thanks for posting the menu.
Maureen

Betzie said...

This is so neat Mary! I loved seeing it. I remember cherry cokes and those plastic palm trees in the turtle containers...fun read!

Janet said...

This really brings back memories! I loved going to the dime store when I was a kid. Getting a chocolate soda was my big treat....and maybe some paper dolls.

Werna Gail said...

What a great stroll down memory lane.My mother would take me to Woolworths,she loved the section that had artificial flowers, she could not resist them.

Julie said...

Oh, that familiar Woolworth's menu! I have such fond memories of this chain. There was one in downtown Minot when I was a kid - we got there a few times a year. There was also one in downtown Williston. Even one in Grand Forks at the time I lived there in the late 1960s and 1970s. When I worked on South Third Street in GF I would walk up to Woolworth's for a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Yum. And the fountain Cokes were so great. In Minot and Grand Forks, the malls meant the death for the downtown Woolworths. In Williston they hung on a bit longer, not having a mall, but then Wal-Mart came in and the whole downtown died. Sad.

Speaking of turtles, etc. Our Ben Franklin store in Crosby had a bird, fish and turtle section. You could immediately hear the parakeets when you walked in the store. We used to get turtles until my mom heard they carried salmonella so no more turtles for us!

Great story! Am so glad I got into your blog today with no trouble.

Love, Julie

♥Mimi♥ said...

Ohmygosh, my mom and I would go to Woolworth's when I was little and I'd always have their macaroni and cheese with Harvard beets. I know, a strange combination for a kid, but, boy did I ever love it! My mom would usually have a blt or tuna sandwich and a cup of coffee. Those were some of the most special memories of mom and I - just the two of us spending the day together and having a good time and I was only about 5 - but vivid memories nonetheless.

Elizabeth Golden said...

Love this menu! Thank you for sharing your memories.

Lila Rostenberg said...

A great post! I ate at a Woolworths counter a few times in downtown Little Rock when I had a job in the library near there. This menu is making me hungry!