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LEARN HOW TO MAKE OUR TYPE LARGER

	Just a thought
	Betty Lammers

Yesterday's mall: The 5 & 10
Published July/August 2001

When today's teenagers want to hang out together they now go to the mall. In the late 30s, 40s and 50s we had no malls, but we did have our own microcosm and it was called a 5 and 10 cent store.

In my area we had a Woolworth, S.S. Kresge and McCrory's store and when I moved to our new neighborhood, we had one called Newberry's. It was "mall" in miniature. There was a cosmetic counter, costume jewelry, underwear and socks, hardware and probably a lot that I just don't remember. How many houses still have Christmas ornaments from the 5 and 10? When you felt hungry, you could always go to the lunch counter and get something to eat or have soda and an ice cream. All things were there at your fingertips.

Many a teenager earned spending money by working weekends at one of the counters and there were middle-aged women staffing different areas during the weekdays. What I remember as being especially strange was the pet section in the rear of the store. They had birds, turtles, fish, hamsters, etc. and sold the aquariums and cages right there. When high school got out there was an onslaught of teenagers rushing to get a nickel Coke and gather in bunches and they never seemed to hurry us out. I guess every nickel and dime was appreciated. Parents appreciated it too because they didn't have to drive us there and pick us up. It was all on foot.

Life seems so much simpler then. Stores like the Gap and Old Navy weren't around. We didn't know what a designer label was and didn't much care. Today's youth would not, as the song goes, "Find a million-dollar baby in the 5 and 10 cent store."

E-mail Betty Lammers at betty@homefrontmagazine.com.

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