Woolco

[storehistoryguy]

Now thats a Woolworth! :yup:

[store215]

Actually, that image looks more of a UK woolworth which isn't related. Looks similar though

[d_fife]

Originally posted by storehistoryguy
Now thats a Woolworth! :yup:

cool looking woolworth where is?

I wonder how big the biggest one in NYC is or if there was one in times square.

[d_fife]

old woolworth in skowhegan me

[Marc82]

Woolworth was located next to Bradlees in Bristol, CT. After they went out of business they divided the space into a Lecther's Kitchenwares Store (another chain that went under) and vacant space. Now there's Dress Barn, a vacant store and a Cardsmart that all share the old Woolworth Space.

Bristol also had a Woolco. It was located on Route 6 (Farmington Avenue). Later it became Rickel. Then the space was divided into Pergament and a Vacant Store. Now it's Sear's Hardware and a Salvation Army Thrift Store.

[shakethis1234]

we had one in fulton why did they closed they were always busy in the mornings fulton woolworths  was jamed pack eating breakfast buying stuff

[dmx10101]

Originally posted by MBZ321
Actually, that image looks more of a UK woolworth which isn't related. Looks similar though

Actually it is related-

At Woolies we're proud to have served five generations of Britons since Frank Woolworth opened our first store in Liverpool on 5th November 1909.

But the story started 30 years earlier when Frank opened his first five and ten cent store at 70, North Queen Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA on 21st June 1879.

Woolworth had three simple ideas:

    * fixed prices of five and ten cents with everything clearly priced
    *mass-produced, high quality items from the new factories
    *buying direct from manufacturers to keep prices down

The first ever Woolworth store, in North Queen Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Manager J. D. Rock stands on the doorstep with his team
The first British Woolworths, in Church Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, pictured in 1909. (Image with sincere thanks to Mr Scott Oakford)    

The formula quickly took hold with stores opening rapidly across the United States and Canada, each one more successful than the last.  Today Frank Woolworth is credited with transforming retailing across the world, bringing lower prices and better quality for everyone, and bringing many products into the price range of ordinary people for the first time..  

Frank Woolworth launched the British company personally, choosing the sites for our first fifty or so stores, and establishing himself as Chairman of F. W. Woolworth & Co. Ltd. 3D and 6D Stores for a salary of £1 a year, to be paid in cash!

It was a good choice, the British company is still going strong 95 years later, and still carries his name.

From Woolworth Virtual Museum

P.S.- here's a pic of a few Woolworth bags I still have.

[ameskmart1]

Woolco ad

[ameskmart1]

Woolco ad

[mikey7290]

Here is one of two former Woolworth stores in Ogdensburg, NY.  This store was located at 206-210 Ford Street in Downtown Ogdensburg from 1937 until the building was purchased and the store closed in 1971.  Before 1937, Woolworth's was located further down the block.  The other Woolworth's store was a small one (15,000 sf) in the Seaway Shopping Center from 1959 until it closed in the 1970's.  The downtown store is mostly vacant now, except for the offices of the probation department.  The plaza store is now shared by a Family Dollar and a chinese buffet.

[mikey7290]

I've been trying to post a pic of our old Woolworth store in Downtown Ogdensburg NY and can't seem to either get it the right size or in the right place.  I will try again.  Sorry.

[mikey7290]

Okay.  Here is the pic I was talking about.  This Woolworth's store was in Downtown Ogdensburg, NY.  Located at 206-210 Ford Street, it was in this building from 1937 until the building was purchased in 1971 and the store closed.  Before 1937, Woolworth's was located further down the block in a smaller store.  We had a second Woolworth's in the Seaway Shopping Center from 1959 until it closed in the 1970's.  That store was about 15,000 square feet.  The downtown store is now mostly vacant, with just the probation department offices, I think.  The plaza store was split in half and is now shared by Family Dollar and a chinese buffet.

[HoJofan206]

Thanks for posting that old "classic" pic! :roll:

[amesman]

Whatever happened to the second Woolworth location on Ogdensburg?

[mikey7290]

Originally posted by amesman
Whatever happened to the second Woolworth location on Ogdensburg?

The Woolworth's that was in the Seaway Shopping Center closed sometime during the 1970's.  I'm not sure of the exact date.  After it closed, the store was split in half, with P&C Foods taking half and the other half occupied by a Sears Catalog store.  Then a few years ago, part of the old P&C was taken by Family Dollar and the old Sears was occupied by a chinese buffet.  Both Family Dollar and the buffet are still there today.  I will try and get a current pic posted here soon.:)

[mikey7290]

Originally posted by mikey7290

Originally posted by amesman
Whatever happened to the second Woolworth location on Ogdensburg?

The Woolworth's that was in the Seaway Shopping Center closed sometime during the 1970's.  I'm not sure of the exact date.  After it closed, the store was split in half, with P&C Foods taking half and the other half occupied by a Sears Catalog store.  Then a few years ago, part of the old P&C was taken by Family Dollar and the old Sears was occupied by a chinese buffet.  Both Family Dollar and the buffet are still there today.  I will try and get a current pic posted here soon.:)

Well, I don't yet have a pic of the store itself, but here's a copy of an article with a pic of the store's staff from the Ogdensburg Journal when the store first opened in 1959.  This is of the Woolworth's that was in the Seaway Shopping Center on Canton Street. (1959-1970's).

[HoJofan206]

Look under the letters "G" in "racing game" and you will see this classic 1970's game was a WOOLCO exclusive!

[HoJofan206]

Some authentic "Woolco" branded sewing needles.

[HoJofan206]

Classic Woolco Department Store roadside sign.

[jaesun]

The only Woolworths that I ever went to or frequented was a Woolworth's mall store in Fayetteville, AR. It was kind of a chaotic mess. This was in the early 90's while I was in college. Did get an awesome set of dishes there for my first apartment.

[AmesNewington]

I have a partial article on the Woolworth's fire in Berlin CT in April, 1997. The front page had a picture of the store moments after the fire was put out. So, I pulled out the article and scanned the photo and would like to share it with everyone. Since the paper is 10 years old, and I had it folded away, this image isn't the best. (I am putting it in a WORD document due to its size).

As you can see the fire was horrible.. Of course, Woolworths never rebuilt because that was the same year all Woolworths closed anyway. The hole left by the store is still there. There is even tiles of flooring still sitting on the site. This was where I went as a young child, and to see it up in smoke is unfair and terribly sad.

The fire was so bad, that it nearly got to the brand new Super Foodmart that opened in November 1996. Today, Foodmart is still there, and there's Ocean State Job Lot, Family Dollar, and a few local establishments. It's across from Morande Ford and Showcase Cinemas.

FYI...If you would like to read the entire article on the fire, you can access it through ICONN Digital Library (iconn.org) ONLY if you have a library card number in Connecticut.

[mikey7290]

I was just looking at the Watertown (NY) Daily Times newspaper from yesterday (July 17).  In the "Looking Backward" section it mentioned how on July 17, 1997, Woolworth's announced it was closing all of its stores.  The chain used to have a store in downtown Watertown.  It is hard to believe that Woolworth's has been gone for ten years already.:no:

[XISMZERO]

The Woolworth in Bristol, CT has been there since 1960 up until closure. It was kind of a fleabag place by memory compared to neighboring Bradlees, which wasn't much either in its final years. Sad to know it was eventually subdivided into Dollar Tree and some other shops.

[Marc82]

Originally posted by XISMZERO
The Woolworth in Bristol, CT has been there since 1960 up until closure. It was kind of a fleabag place by memory compared to neighboring Bradlees, which wasn't much either in its final years. Sad to know it was eventually subdivided into Dollar Tree and some other shops.

Mr. Know-it-All is wrong. I grew up in Bristol and live there until 2003. Dollar Tree is the old CVS, not the old Woolworths. Letcher's and a relocated, smaller Weathervane were among some of the stores that were in the old Woolworths. Today the old Woolworths is a Dressbarn, a store called Party Warehouse, and vacant space that most recently a gift shop called Card Smart.

[Rayco7030]

i remember going to one in canada

hope it was a woolco i could be right or i could be wrong

[Zayre88]

Originally posted by Rayco7030
i remember going to one in canada

hope it was a woolco i could be right or i could be wrong

Woolco had stores in Canada until 1994.  They were #2 behind Zellers and above Kmart.  Wal-Mart acquired the chain in a move to enter the canadian market.

Picture of a former Canadian Woolco, near Quebec City.

[MikeRa]

Originally posted by Caldor1999
anouther Caldeor that was a Woolco

This former Woolco/Caldor, as well as the Acme Markets in this dead "Village Mall" Shopping Center in Willingboro, NJ, is now the Willingboro Mart, which replaced the former Pennsauken Mart.:saint:

[MikeRa]

Originally posted by storehistoryguy
Former Woolco in Cornwells Heights, PA. After it shut down it became a Jamesway and now a Home Depot.


http://www.tomasher.net/deadretail.html

This Home Depot, at what is now called Home Depot Plaza (formerly called Woodhaven Mall), in Bensalem (Cornwells Heights), was built on the site of the old Woolco/Jamesway.

When first opened in 1973, Woodhaven Mall had, beside Woolco, a Acme Super Saver supermarket, a Gaudio's flower and craft shop (Gaudio's was owned by Penn Fruit company), and a Woodhaven Mall 4 Cinema.  Toady, at the new Home Depot Plaza, beside Home Depot and Acme, there is Babies R' Us and AMC Woodhaven 10 Theatre.:saint:

[Rayco7030]

pics i found of woolco woolworth on flickr

[Rayco7030]

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