YESTERYEAR: F. W. Woolworth Company

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F. W. Woolworth Company

by PAT SIDES

Most shoppers appear to be waiting for a bus in front of the Woolworth’s store at Sixth and Main in this 1938 photo. Despite economic challenges wrought by Great Depression, they are still out in force, and the windows of the store reveal a well-stocked inventory.

The popular five-and-dime store opened in a portion of this building around 1913, but by the mid-thirties Woolworths had expanded into the entire structure. Founded in New York, Woolworth stores were fixtures in American cities for over a century, finally closing in 1997.

In April 1990, the Evansville store was gutted by fire, and a month later came the announcement that it would close permanently. The building was razed, but the site is now occupied by a new building for the Signature School. Â