I Remember Woolworth's

In 1979, F.W. Woolworth was the largest chain of its kind in the world. Since then, it's morphed into Foot Locker and other spin-offs, and the five-and-dime general merchandise store concept has morphed into giant "super-size" box "marts;" as of 2009, Woolworth's stores in the US remain only as historic buildings, now used for other purposes.

The 1960 Greensboro, North Carolina, Woolworth sit-ins were a landmark in the American Civil Rights movement. Up to that time, black people were supposed to stand and eat, while whites sat at the lunch counter. The sit-ins worked: within six months, Woolworth's desegregated its lunch counters.

In the 1970s, I used to enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches and coffee at an integrated Woolworth's in Durham, North Carolina, and I remember going to another one, in Philadelphia, a little later. Woolworth's was like a homier version of drugstore chains today. A similar concept, Roses Stores, still exists in North Carolina. I miss the Woolworth's lunch counters.

1971 commercial above: Woolworth's Stereo Spectacular! Albums for only a dollar fifty-seven! Another bunch for only eighty-seven cents! How about some 8-Track stereo cartridges? Hurry over! Everything in stereo! Herb Albert, Canned Heat, Guess Who, the original cast Sesame Street! Get 'em while they last!

Today's Rune: The Self.