Customer Reviews

Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-and-Dime

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent book! There is a tremendous amount of fascinating detail as well as many wonderful pictures. The "time capsule memories" are especially gripping. And I was amazed to learn that Frank W. Woolworth's 7 business tips, the key to his success, are still relevant today. I liked this book very much and highly recommend it!

Ms. Karen Plunkett-Powell's book is a joy to read, with great pictures. It follows the rise and fall of Woolworth's; sharing behind-the-scenes history that most people wouldn't know. BUT MOST IMPORTANT -- it brought back more memories than I realized I had forgotten of my child and teenage years and reminded me of just how many important things my family (and probably yours!) purchased from Woolworth's. My Woolworth's was in downtown Bradenton Florida, but reading the book I realized that people all over the USA and some foreign countries have many of the same memories that I do of Woolworth's -- parakeets, goldfish and hamsters, coke-floats and grilled cheese sandwiches, the 25-cent photo booth, parfume and cosmetics, the candy counter, comic books, my first watch, my first musical jewelry box, seasonal clothing, hula-hoops and batons, tennis shoes and flip-flop sandals, portable typewriters, play guns and dolls -- but most of all, Woolworth's was our Christmas Store. As the daughter of a 29-year Woolworth's saleslady, Woolworth's was where I wandered as a child, searching out all the things I hoped Santa would bring. Revive your memories -- this book sure is a trip down memory lane! Highly Recommended!

Remembering Woolworth's is full of history, photos and memories of the old stores. It is a particularly readable book, and I especially enjoyed reading about the Woolworth store's overseas, as well as about Frank Woolworth's early years as a struggling merchant. I recommend this book for anyone who ever stepped foot inside a Woolworth's, or for those interested in how one man's ideas changed the world of retailing.

There was a F.W.Woolworths in my home town in Maynard,Massachusetts back in the 50's and 60's. I used to shop for my Mother there. You could get anything from a needle and thread to pet food to plastic toys to glassware to school supplies to 45rpm records. My friends and I used to meet there after school. I used to duck into the storefront from summer rainstorms. The smell of fresh popcorn filled the air. Friendly people were always there to help you find whatever you needed. The absence in America of stores such as Woolworths is a sign of the times. I now live in Lancaster,PA and I met Ms Powell while she researched the home town of F.W.Woolworth. I was happy to meet her and share my stories with her. She was delightful and very interesting. If you're a sentimentalist you need to go back in time and relive those days when we enjoyed shopping for the everyday items that we sometimes dread going to stores for today.

Chock full of information, photos, illustrations and trivia, this book is a must read for anyone who ever worked for or shopped at the late, lamented Five & Dime.

From penny candies, grilled cheese sandwiches and banana splits to details on the founder and the company, this book is painstakingly researched and written in a enjoyable style.

I've been a fan of Ms. Plunkett-Powell since reading her excellent "Nancy Drew Scrapbook" and I thoroughly enjoyed this new trip down memory lane.

If you're old enough to remember sitting at the counter of Woolworth's, ordering a cheeseburger deluxe, then this book is for you. It's a great chance to reminiscence about the "old red front". But the surprise is it's also a great tale of perseverance and leadership-great reading for the business world!

This book brought back so many memories - and I'm only 41! It's
fun to read, with a layout that mixes photos, anecdotes, drawings, and personal reminscences - almost like a magazine. Reading this book makes you realize that Woolworth's was everything Kmart and Wal-Mart are not - charming, inviting, and much more than a place to get a bargain. Author Karen Plunkett-Powell captures the Americana, the nostalgia, and the details that make us all smile when we remember Woolworth's. For me, it was about recalling the malted milks my aunt used to buy me at the counter when I was small, and the quick gifts I used to pick up for friends and my children from the Woolworth's that used to be located downstairs from an office building where I worked for many years. So many of our everyday experiences nowadays are empty -- do yourself a favor and travel back to a simpler yet more meaningful time by reading this book or buying it for a friend. It's not a typical boring history book -- and it makes a GREAT gift for the senior citizen in your life who you never know what to get for a present -grandma, a relative in a nursing home, a neighbor who signs for your packages or whatever - even if that person is not the type to sit down and read a book, they'll have so much fun leafing through it.

Like rock and roll, Woolworths will be forever engraved in the psyche of baby boomers. In this book, I discovered what precipitated Frank Woolworth's rise from New York hayseed to Merchant Prince. Woolworths was the first store to give middle America a new world of goods, instead of a bill of goods. Through enchanting pictures,heart warming time capsule memories and energizing text, I could revisit the store that sold affordable cologne, boxed stationery and enough candy for the sweet teeth of America's youth. Ms. Powell takes us boomers on a delightful walk down Woolworth's memory lane.

Karen Plunkett-Powell provides an in-depth look at the making of an American Icon, but also captures the essence of what each of us remembers about our favorite five and dime. The scope of Ms. Plunkett-Powell's knowledge of Frank Woolworth and his business makes for a very intersting read, but she never let's us forget why we loved Woolworth's. Remembering Woolworth's is chocked full of photos and information about the five and dime empire's trek across the world - a great resource as well as a wonderful story.

Remembering Woolworth's is a delightful book that brings back crisp memories of buying yarn and crochet thread of every color, embroidered hankies for Mother's Day, and grilled cheese sandwiches for a treat -- plus a free view of the goldfish and the canaries. This oh-so-enjoyable book also unfolds the story of the man behind the name, the employees around the world, and the personal tidbits of history that make you realize this was one special place in time. Treat yourself!