Growing up, I always loved going to the dime store. There was something about the charm and mystique of these stores that made them feel like a special place. Dime stores, also known as five-and-ten-cent stores and variety stores, developed into a major sector of U.S. retailing, with Frank Woolworth opening his first five-and-dime store in Utica, New York, in 1879.
At the time, European immigrants and rural Americans, who had moved to the cities, could afford to buy merchandise in incredible volumes. The stores' major merchandise classifications in the early days included toys, notions (sewing supplies), china, glassware, stationery, shoes, and Christmas ornaments. These were the kinds of things that people needed and could afford, making dime stores a staple of American retail.
The popularity of these stores exploded, and by the time Woolworth inaugurated his monumental headquarters in New York City in 1913 — at the time, the tallest building in the world — the company had more than 500 stores nationwide. These stores had become an essential part of the American shopping experience, providing a wide array of goods at affordable prices.
One thing that always stood out to me was the lunch counter in many of these stores. The Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, became world-famous in 1960 when blacks staged a sit-in there to demand service. A part of that counter is now in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
However, changes in shopping patterns and new forms of retailing in the 1970s and 1980s, caused the virtual demise of dime stores by the early 1990s. It may be easy to look back at these stores as a thing of the past, but they had a lasting impact on American retail.
The dime store format provided the impetus for some of the first chain stores and became an important outlet for American mass-manufactured merchandise. More than anything, it was the charm and simplicity of these stores that made them special. Shopping at a dime store felt like a unique experience, one that you couldn't get anywhere else.
In many ways, the idea of a dime store lives on today in the form of dollar stores. While they may not have the same mystique as their predecessors, they still offer a wide selection of budget-friendly goods that are accessible to everyone.
In conclusion, the charm and mystique of classic dime stores and five-and-ten's are an essential part of American retail history. They provided access to affordable goods for those who could not afford to shop elsewhere and introduced many new innovations into the world of retail. Although they may not be as prevalent today, their legacy will continue to be felt throughout the retail industry for years to come.
