WOOLWORTH's Five & Dime

  Every major American city had a Woolworth's Five & Dime. It was the original Wal-Mart of its time. Hammond, Indiana was no exception. Our Woolworth store was great for reviewing the latest comic books, buying goldfish in a paper box (the kind of box you get with Chinese food), meeting your friends at the lunch counter and sharing the most recent gossip.

Our Woolworth's, located on the southeast corner of Hohman & Sibley,  had a second and third floor with a wide wooden open staircase. All of the floors creaked and being hardwood floors, we were always hoping they would sustain our weight as growing teenagers.

 

    
 

  The inlaid ceramic tile entryway announced Hammond's local link to the corporate retailing giant somewhere in the mystical City of New York.  But what was more attractive was the Luncheonette where you could have a "homemade" meal for less than a buck!  
  Woolworth's provided jobs for teenagers and early training for careers in hospitality, cooking, public relations, retail sales counter, everything a young woman would need to know to make her a successful housewife.  After all, it was the 1950's
and if you were a teenager you had to have a job. What better job could you have than one that would allow you time to meet your classmates, chat with your neighbors, meet new boys,
and -- the best part -- you could help yourself to a free Coke.		    
         

 

         

Here is a menu from the F.W. Woolworth Store from 1960.


 
 

 

But like everything else in downtown Hammond, we lost our F.W. Woolworth store. It was sold and closed. The building still stands but it is vacant now.

     
           
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