Mike Little Loc: Ozark, Missouri

I know
Where there is a 5 & 10 cent store but not one thing can be bought at that price.

craig.j.tucker

OMG! -- the 5&10 ! Ben Franklin's - Woolworth - Kresge's

Our Kresges had a diner, 35-cent American subs and sold parakeets., hamsters, and baby alligators (hm)

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Vinyl records/LP'S have made a major resurgence in the past few years. To play them you need some sort of phonograph with a needle, so there's two items that have not been lost to time.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I remember our local Woolworths had a food and beverage counter. The had the best banana splits and ice cream sundaes. When I was a child we would take the train to Wayne PA and have lunch at Woolworths. I don't recall the exact process but, they had helium filled balloons and you would pick a balloon and inside the balloon was a slip of paper with a price on it. This was the price you paid for your ice cream dessert. Sometimes it was a nickel or a dime or a quarter or even free.

Years later, before the advent of high speed internet data transmission, on the last business day of the month, I use to drive up to New York City to pick up computer tapes that contained all the latest asset pricing data. The vendor that supplied the data was located in the Woolworth tower, which was at one time the worlds tallest building. We'd arrive in Manhattan in the late afternoon, take the elevator to the top floor of the Woolworths building and check in. The tapes wouldn't be ready for a few more hours so we'd go to a local Italian restaurant for dinner. After dinner it was back to the Woolworth tower, pick up the tapes and race down the New Jersey turnpike, back to PA.

FYI, Woolworths never really went out of business. Yes, all the stores branded Woolworths and Woolco have closed but, F W Woolworth is now an online retailer and Woolworths changed their name to that of their most profitable division, Foot Locker, inc.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

In the nearest "city" to my home town. Paducah, KY about 30,000 back then, my home town was less than 1000 and 25 miles from Paducah.

There was a store, I believe it was Woolworth's that up by the front doors had an automatic donut cooking machine. Dough squirted into a mold(two kinds-white and chocolate), which then dumped the dough into hot oil in a circular cooker divided into "pie" sections that each held one donut, the sections rotated at the right speed that when the floating donut reached the last position before the dough got dumped it was done and an automatic flipper got the donut out of the oil onto a slide down to a cooling tray that also rotated. When it reached the last position a real human took each donut and dipped it in one of several flavors of icing and added sprinkles, coconut etc. You could buy one or a dozen but each was fresh from cooking and still warm. Watching your donut made and then going to the lunch counter a few feet away to sit on a stool, get a small drink and enjoy them while the grownups shopped was a magic thing for a little kid.

The people at the donut machine and the counter plus a few older siblings, Grandparents etc and a few regular customers all kept an eye on the little ones while parents shopped. We were very safe, most of the men who would have responded if someone like the all too present creeps we have around today had tried anything were Korean, WWII and even WWI vets willing to revert to warrior to protect anyone's little kids.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Apple orchards still use that kind of machine to make cider donuts today.

steve Loc: Iowa

yes, I was in des moines in the 60's. 1st time to eat at mcdonalds I
& went to see Sound of Music at a theater

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

So true, I'm 80 and still remember those things!!