The Mid Century Vault

Currently Playing: 032 Woolworth's Five & Dime: The store that invented modern shopping and changed America.

Step inside the Mid Century Vault as host Philip Mershon walks you through the rise and fall of the iconic F.W. Woolworth Company, known simply as Woolworth’s. This five-and-dime store defined Main Street for a century, pioneering revolutionary concepts like fixed, low prices and open display cases—practices we take for granted today! Discover the fascinating story of Frank Winfield Woolworth, the incredible scale of the company (over 600 stores by 1930!), and the infamous "Cash and Cary" scandal involving heiress Barbara Hutton and Cary Grant. More than just a store for potholders and pet goldfish, the Woolworth's lunch counter became a central fixture of American life and a pivotal setting for the Civil Rights Movement. Learn about the brave 1960 Greensboro sit-ins that led to desegregation. What happened to the red-fronted store? Find out how Woolworth's transformed into one of today’s biggest retailers: Foot Locker. Don't forget to LIKE this video to show you're a returning fan, and leave the secret comment: five and dime! #woolworths #civilrightsmovement #popculturehistory #nostalgia If you'd like to further support my work, here's my buy me a coffee link: https://coff.ee/philipmershon For more Mid Century Vault adventures, just go here: https://www.youtube.com/user/philipmershon New episodes release every Friday and Sunday. If I could ask, please watch videos to the end, this really helps as much as liking and commenting, which, of course, helps like crazy. Be sure to subscribe and become part of our new community, thanks!