The Woolworth Experience

When eyes have not traveled great distances, or feasted upon a lot of glitz and glamour, Woolworth’s was a real treat. I remember well in my preteen years entering the store with great anticipation of new and shinny. I would always first go to the jewelry counter and look at the little glass gems dangling from clips attached to cardboard.  The colors and shiny sphere earings attracted me like a monkey to a banana.  I devoured the display with my eyes and would at times pick one out to add to my treasure chest. My treasure chest was a blue vinyl box with a tiny little key and there I kept my cache of baubles.

The store was not fancy but it was inviting. There was always the smell of little hot nuts roasting away. They would go up a conveyor belt into hot oil and come out ready to eat. They were served in little white bags in the shape of a cone. Alongside the candy machine was a glass enclosed case displaying a myriad of chocolates. There were filled, nut encased, and one felt a bit of power as you perused the variety and made your choices.

Then there was the lunch counter. I can remember my neighbor taking me there and treating me to a grilled cheese sandwich. It cost twenty five cents. Eating out was so special. There were tall stools and a few booths. I loved sitting on the stool because it felt more grown up. The stools would twirl and my feet would dangle on the chrome bar half way down the leg of the stool. The menu was indicative of the times; grilled cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato, triple deckers, ham and egg salad. The fountain treats were the epitome of the experience. They served up banana splits, ice cream sodas, Tulip Sundae’s and of course from the beverage menu malted milk, milk shakes, and for ten cents Coca Cola. My brother always asked for cherry coke.

They had a section of the store where they sold gold fish, and brightly colored canaries, and other innocuous pets.

I loved the section with perfumes and bath powders. They sold bubble bath in paper packets with pictures of different flowers on the cover. The scents included rose, carnation, lilac and other heavenly fragrances.

There was also a plethora of small toy cars and beautiful dolls with vinyl faces and pretty bonnets, and black shoes with straps. Then there were the paper dolls books which I loved. My favorite was ballerina paper dolls because their costumes were so glamorous. I would imagine myself in such pretty attire dancing around a room on my tippy toes. How many flights of imagination I had with my paper dolls.

In a time when eating out is not nearly so special, and these eyes have beheld much glitz and glamour I look back on the days of Woolworths’ as a special time when the magic of new experiences was mine to experience.