Woolworth/Woolco Hallowe'en

[horrorhunter]

[horrorhunter]

[Hepcat]

Those five and dime stores in downtown areas were indeed Halloween central for many a baby boomer kid. Halloween has certainly lost something since the days a young fellow could see a score of Ben Cooper or Collegeville costumes hanging from the ceiling of the local five-and-dime in the weeks before Halloween and if he was very lucky get his parents to spring for one.







I still have fond memories of the Kresge's, Woolworth, Zellers and Metropolitan stores in downtown London, Ontario. My mother used to haunt all these looking for bargains. As a youngster I was very often in tow. I didn't mind of course as there was never a shortage of items to capture a young boy's interest, little turtles, goldfish, budgies, the bulk candy counter, the fancy birthday cakes in the front window and all those toys!

Then there was East London a mile or so down Dundas Street to the east. The East London business strip was anchored by the Hudson's department store plus its own Kresge's (or was it a Woolworth?) and Metropolitan. The once a year street carnival/sidewalk sale in East London would generally draw my mother. I of course had no objection to this more distant expedition because of the added attractions of rides, popcorn, candy apples and cotton candy!

It was on one of those trips to the downtown Kresge's in 1961(?) that I came face to face with a Great Garloo, which I immediately brought to my mother's attention. With a sticker price in the fifteen dollar area, there was just no chance I'd get one though.

!

It was also at that Kresge's store in 1962 that I first encountered the Aurora monster model kits:



Oh man! They were the coolest things I'd ever seen and I made their acquisition a top priority!

A few months thereafter I managed to score one of these wild Hasbro Marble Mazes which were displayed in the front window of the Woolworth store right on the spot:



I guess I'd been particularly good so my mother bought me one right then and there.

Nor was I necessarily always accompanied by my mother on trips to downtown London. Helicopter parenting wasn't in vogue yet and a young fellow could range a mile or more of his own accord in those days. I very clearly remember passing by the Met with a buddy of mine in the summer of 1962 and seeing that they had the new CFL cards on display right by the snack counter at the front of the store before I'd seen them anywhere else and buying two or three packs:



I also recall being very bitterly disappointed. Not only were the cards just in B&W but they were only half the standard size. Cheap bastiches!

Then of course these five and dimes typically featured a lunch counter. The one pictured here in 1988 was at the Kresge's store on Coxwell Avenue in Toronto close to my present day neighbourhood:



The one at the Met store in downtown London was so popular that they even had a satellite take-out counter at the front of the store from which businessmen could grab a quick cheeseburger, hot dog, french fries, donut or coffee. Not that I had the money for such things of course, but there was always the chance I could get my mother to buy me a dish of ice cream served in one of those metal dishes covered with a cardboard insert. And Woolworth had neapolitan ice cream sandwiches that they made up between two wafers fresh before your very eyes for only fifteen cents, which was something I could fund for myself by high school after looking through the records at the Disc Shoppe right across from the new Woolworth store in the downtown Wellington Square Mall!



Great memories, but sadly none of those places I've mentioned still exist. What I'd give now for a cheeseburger and fries at the Met followed by an ice cream sandwich from Woolworth! You never know what you've got till it's gone.



That's actually one of the reasons I still love A&W hamburgers! They have that old-fashioned five and dime lunch counter hamburger taste I seem to remember.



Mmmmmm! Now that's exactly what I'm going to get for supper.

[Rockshasa]

I truly miss Woolworth's too. It was a great American store...was.
Like so many things that were once great in America, it is gone now.

I was thinking about this the other day...how many great things about this country the baby-boomers truly miss.
I was walking through Walmart, my least favorite store in the world, and thought, "I wonder if there will ever come a day when a generation will miss Walmart?"

*choke...gag*

IMHO, that day cannot come soon enough, LOL.

[Wolfman]

Mmmmmm! They were Swell! I didn't even have to go that far for them as they were available at Steve's Variety and Gift Shop just over a block away. Unfortunately they cost a whopping fifteen cents each at the time.

I remember the bubble gum cigars. Around the late 60's they had a brown version. That's right, brown. I know because I bought it on a few occasions. I don't recall the flavor though, but I guess they wanted to simulate a real cigar.

JP

[Hepcat]

I truly miss Woolworth's too. It was a great American store...was. Like so many things that were once great in America, it is gone now.

I was thinking about this the other day...how many great things about this country the baby-boomers truly miss.

Very true.

I was walking through Walmart, my least favorite store in the world, and thought, "I wonder if there will ever come a day when a generation will miss Walmart?"

*choke...gag*

Ever is a long time. But I won't be among those missing Walmart. Just doesn't do it for me like the old five-and-dimes.

IMHO, that day cannot come soon enough, LOL.

Yes, be nice to see!

[Hepcat]

I remember the bubble gum cigars. Around the late 60's they had a brown version. That's right, brown. I know because I bought it on a few occasions. I don't recall the flavor though, but I guess they wanted to simulate a real cigar.

That's the first I've heard of brown, but I guess it was these Presidential candidate cigars you saw:





I'd give any and all of those brown cigars a pass. Swell also did a second series of El Bubble Cigars:



Plus these swell "It's a Boy" ones in blue:





And of course "It's a Girl" ones in pink. A whole rainbow of colours and flavours! Mmmmmmm, good!

[Wolfman]

That's the first I've heard of brown, but I guess it was these Presidential candidate cigars you saw:





I'd give any and all of those brown cigars a pass. Swell also did a second series of El Bubble Cigars:



Plus these swell "It's a Boy" ones in blue:





And of course "It's a Girl" ones in pink. A whole rainbow of colours and flavours! Mmmmmmm, good!

No, it wasn't a presidential cigar. Just like the ones pictured, like the gold dragon, but brown. I don't recall the name for it either.

JP

[Wich2]

The classic Front:



OH, do I miss that wondrous chain...

-Craig

[glane21]

Anyone else remember JJ Newberry stores?  Similar to Woolworths .  I have great memories of their toy section with Colorform sets and cheap Godzilla toys.  Also getting those Fleer and Topps novelty candies like Mr Bones at the register when mom was checking out.

In Pee Wee's Big Adventure, the scene where he gets his bike stolen is at an outdoor plaza with both a Woolworths and Newberrys in the background stores.  I love that part for just that reason.

[Wolfman]

Another great store was Two Guys from Harrison in N.J. They had a great toy section as well. I remember getting the huge Civil War playset there. I think it may have been called Happi-Time by Marx if my memory serves me correct.

JP

[Rockshasa]

Another great store was Two Guys from Harrison in N.J.

I remember Two Guys. They had them in Baltimore as well. Aside from Woolworths, my fave department store back in the day was Korvettes. They had an awesome toy department. That's where my Mom bought the Aurora Monster Scenes for me when I was a little kid. Korvettes also had a great record department as well.

[charp13]

The store I frequented as a child in Hillsdale, MI., was literally named " Five and Ten". I always thought it was funny that it didn't have a snazzier name!  But man, they had so many cool costumes & decorations for the holidays!  And I remember buying those $1.98 or $1.67 costumes for 97 cents!  They were always below a dollar, on sale!  Why didn't I buy all of them!  Ha! 

[Hepcat]

And I remember buying those $1.98 or $1.67 costumes for 97 cents!  They were always below a dollar, on sale!  Why didn't I buy all of them!

97 cents! Wow!

[Wich2]

Anyone else remember JJ Newberry stores?  Similar to Woolworths .

Glane, SO many chains copied not only Woolworth's business pattern - but also the "Two Initials and Last Name" title! In my Midwestern home town, the dear departed store of sainted memory (MAD paperbacks - Beatles 45s - View-Masters - etc.) was a:



(And OH, MAN - what a heavenly, giant-U-shaped glass candy counter!)