Frank Winfield Woolworth New York, to John Hubbell Woolworth (1821–1907) and Fanny Woolworth (née McBrier; 1832–1878), and had a brother, entrepreneur Charles Sumner Woolworth (1856–1947). His parents, John and Fanny Woolworth, were devout Methodists and sympathetic to the Northern side during the Civil War – they raised their two sons, Frank Winfield and Charles Sumner, accordingly. At the age of four, Woolworth told his parents that one day he would become one of the peddlers that sometimes came calling; he and Charles would play "store"; Frank would set up merchandise to be sold to his brother. As was common at the time, Woolworth
F. W. Woolworth Company The store was brightly lit, new, and the wooden floor was polished to a lustrous shine. The layout was soon adopted by Frank for his F. W. Woolworth stores and became the standard as the two brothers persuaded family members and former co-workers from Moore's to join them in forming a "friendly rival syndicate" of five-and-ten-cent stores. Each of the syndicate chain's stores looked similar inside and out, but operated under its founder's name. Frank Woolworth provided much of the merchandise, encouraging the rivals to club together to maximize their inventory and purchasing power. At the same time, using his