Five And Dime Shorts
Description: S. H. Kress & Co. was a chain of "five and dime" stores, established by Samuel Henry Kress, which operated from 1896 to 1981. In the first half of the 20th century, there were Kress stores with ornamented architecture on "Main Street" in hundreds of cities and towns. The Kress chain was known for the architecture of its buildings.[5] "Samuel H. Kress... envisioned his stores as works of public art that would contribute to the cityscape."[6] A number of former Kress stores are recognized as architectural landmarks and many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the 1913 building on Canal Street in New Orleans (now the New Orleans Ritz-Carlton) and the 1929 neoclassical store in Asheville, North Carolina.
Description: Founded in 1962 by the F. W. Woolworth Company, Woolco was an American retail chain. Unlike Woolworth's five-and-dime stores, Woolco was a full-line discount department store, and the creation of the new format coincided with the expansion of suburbia. At its peak, Woolco had hundreds of stores in the US, as well as in Canada and the UK. Woolworth's flagship stores were still doing well, but the company wanted to tap into the growing discount department store market without diluting its dominant position in the variety store business. The first Woolco was located in Columbus, Ohio, and by 1966, there were 18 in the US, and nine in Canada with plans for 30 stores to be added per year.
Description: Founded in 1927, Ben Franklin was a chain of five and dime stores found primarily in small towns throughout the United States. The stores were franchise based, with individual stores owned by independent proprietors, and are believed to be the first retail franchise. They are named after Benjamin Franklin, taking a cue in their merchandise offerings from Franklin's saying, "a penny saved is a penny earned."
Description: Woolco was an American-based discount retail chain. It was founded in 1962 in Columbus, Ohio, by the F. W. Woolworth Company. It was a full-line discount department store unlike the five-and-dime Woolworth stores which operated at the time. At its peak, Woolco had hundreds of stores in the US, as well as in Canada and the United Kingdom. While the American stores were closed in 1983, the chain remained active in Canada until it was sold in 1994 to rival Walmart, which was looking to enter the Canadian market.
