F. W. Woolworth Company F. W. Woolworth Company The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's or Woolworth) was a retail company and one of the original pioneers of the five-and-dime store. It was arguably the most successful American and international five-and-dime business, setting trends and creating the modern retail model that stores follow worldwide today. The first Woolworth store was opened by Frank Winfield Woolworth on February 22, 1878, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" in Utica, New York. Though it initially appeared to be successful, the store soon failed. When Woolworth searched for a new location, a friend suggested Lancaster,
Cliff's Variety Store Castro a block east of its present-day location. It was "mostly a one-man operation." The concept of the variety store originated in the late 1800s with "nickel and dime" store offering a wide assortment of inexpensive items for personal and household use. The originator of the concept is the Woolworth Brothers whose F. W. Woolworth Company experimented with goods people could touch. Before this, clerks had to work with each customer individually, handing them goods from cases or shelves. This required more clerks, with greater knowledge, and so cost more. Inflation eventually dictated that the stores were no longer able