I don??™t see them very often nowadays, but most baby boomers remember them. They were located on the main street of most towns and in each city. They went by a variety of names, but they always appealed to us for one reason on another. They may have been known as the Ben Franklin Store, S.S.Kressge, Woolworth??™s or just the drug store on the corner. They often had doors that were large and hard to pull, or more often the kind that revolved and one person at a time went in.

They were a place where young children could buy a small turtle or a gold fish for ten cents and carry it home in white small cartons. Teens gathered to try on some neat sun glasses or glance over the latest shades of lipsticks. Most trips ended at the soda fountain over a cherry Coke or a hot fudge sundae. The main idea was that so many items were sold for such a small price and you could get a variety of things at the Five and Dime.

Mothers would come in and check over the yard goods and look through Vogue, McCall??™s and other books with patterns. One area displayed a variety of favorite magazines. It was a time when we knew the store manager or owner, and we always said hello and acted polite, because the store owner also knew our Mom and Dad.

Often the Five and Dime had a counter with stools and sometimes booths where we could order fries, cheeseburger and a shake. They also had a daily special, for working men who would frequent the Five and Dime. Women in starched uniforms and aprons would wait on the customers. Their hair was done up and covered neatly with a hair net. The booths with the large seats were big enough for three girls on one side and three guys on the other, and a dark green or gray shade, and the seats moved. A small juke box with favorite selections was at each booth, which was the main reason we??™d opt for that seating arrangement over the swivel stools at the counter, or the heavy straight chairs at a table.

When the Thanksgiving holiday came we knew where the decorations were kept, as harvest scenes with pilgrims and turkeys and pumpkins were placed in a central location for all to see. Very often a large box for canned food donations was placed for customers to remember those less fortunate, and people back then always did.

We never saw a Christmas decoration until the first week in December, and we could hardly wait to see the toys and items that were so popular that year. Usually there was a manger scene with a bright star over it, and Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus was sat up as a welcome display. A real Christmas tree would be covered with lights ten sizes larger than the ones we see today, but that was popular back in the 50??™s. Some tinsel and an angel on top would complete the d?©cor. The special town tree would be located exactly where it grew, and that might be anywhere along the main street, away from the parking, but in view for all to see.

On a special night the store might stay open a little later to invite customers to shop a little longer. The smell of freshly made pop corn, peanut brittle, hot chocolate and coffee would remind us that the time of year for being extra good was here. We??™d look at a special pair of skates or see a train set with a whistle tooting, as it made stops along the tracks, while in the background a record with Gene Autry would play, as he sang ???Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer???

In the late 60??™s land developers began to visualize a compact shopping experience, where customers could go into a variety of stores. And after parking their car, they could go from one end of a mall to another, being able to purchase everything from clothing, to bath and bedroom linens, with a maternity shop, jewelry store and often a few small specialty shops. By the mid 70??™s they were going up all over and the small Five and Dime Stores were beginning to become a thing of the past.

When we pass through a town today, and I see a Five and Dime, or what used to be one. I often ask my hubby to stop, because I know there are so few left, and there is something nostalgic about a visit back to the 50??™s where so much fun and great buys could be found at these places.

???Honey, do you want to go over to the mall and look around,??? my husband will ask.

 And I think of how much we have lost to progress, while my mind goes back to a simpler time and memories of a juke box playing Mr. Blue, and all the great things found at the corner Five and Dime.  ?© Diane Dean White 2004

Diane is a former newspaper reporter and freelance writer. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines, books and publications. She and her husband are the parents of three grown children and two grand-gals. Diane is the author of the book Beach Walks, a compilation of heartwarming short stories, and a novel released in October 2004, Carolina in the Morning. For more information you may visit Diane??™s online home at www.DianeDeanWhite.com  or contact her at thelamb212@aol.com