Karen Plunkett-Powell

Working class Americans once had a place to shop with their families where they were made to feel important, even rich. They could dine inexpensively at the lunch counter and spend a morning or afternoon just browsing through the most fabulous Five-and-Dime store in the world. The rich had Tiffany's and Macy's. Everyone else had Woolworth's.

Before I came to live in Australia, where an entirely unrelated Woolworth's is a grocery chain, on Sunday mornings I would walk through the aisles of show more that familiar building with the famous Red Font bearing the Woolworth name. It was no longer Woolworth's, of course, but this only added to the nostalgia while I searched for nostalgic Coke items or old books, and other bits of Americana to take home. The building was/is a nostalgic downtown landmark in Bakersfield which had been converted into a huge antique shop. It still felt like a Woolworth's inside, however; even the famous lunch counter remained, adding a sense that I was somehow stepping into the past, where I belonged.

This marvelous book by Karen Plunkett-Powell will bring back fond memories for those not fortunate enough to have that connection to America's past to enjoy. The book is filled with sentimental remembrances from children who shopped with their parents or grandparents, or had an ice cream soda with the girl they later married. It is a book filled with recollections from those who bought all their Christmas presents for friends and family at America's Christmas store, and even some who worked at Woolworth's, personalizing a great success story.

It is that mix of personal nostalgia and historical narrative about this most wonderful of stores which separate this book from others of its ilk. The book is augmented by color and black and white pictures of stores in America and abroad, and Woolworth's products and collectibles. Even photos of Hollywood fan magazines showing the retailer's connection to early silent films are included in a book both fun and informative. While dealing with the business transitions and social and economic changes which finally saw the last store of this greatest of companies fade into the sunset, it is the nostalgia most people will find irresistible.

Not just the story of Frank Woolworth and how he built a retail empire by offering customers quality merchandise at low prices while making them feel special, this is very much a story of America's nostalgic past. Sadly, one which is long gone in a way which has little to do with the passage of time. Woolworth's belongs to America’s past, and is imbedded into the memories of those to whom it was a constant in their lives growing up. Any girl who ever bought a bottle of Evening in Paris and any young man who ever enjoyed its fragrance while sitting next to her in a movie house is connected to that icon of retailers, Woolworth's. I highly recommend this fabulous trip down memory lane. And if it’s still there after all these years, and you're ever in Bakersfield, you might want to stop at the Red-Font once again and remember with a sigh how America once was. show less

A solid, concise roundup of the Nancy Drew universe and publishing history. Enjoyable nostalgia!

Mostly nostalgic look at the now defunct F. W. Woolworth's stores, which numbered in the thousands in the United States alone.

The book provides brief biographies of the store founder, Frank (F. W.) Woolworth, including family backgrounds. A history of the company is also provided, including the Woolworth Tower, at on time the world's tallest building, with separate chapters for non-United States subsidiaries. There was also a chapter on collectables, again showing the book's emphasis on show more nostalgia.

Interesting for reminding me of the store in my hometown where I would shop for toys and comics growing up. show less

Brought back some good memories! But I wanted even more from this book.