F. W. WOOLWORTHS

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Powell and Market location, once the biggest and busiest in the chain. opened in 1952. Although Woolworth started in upstate New York, the store reached the apex of its grandeur in its downtown San Francisco store. Moving from a smaller location across Market Street, the Woolworth in the Flood Building opened in October 1952. Officially, it was Store No. 64 and had more than a mile of counter space and 70,000 square feet of floor space: It was the chain's biggest store. Living up to its name as a variety store, it had a pet shop, a garden store, a sporting goods and tool department, two lunch rooms, a bakery, delicatessen counter and more than 50,000 items for sale. 

About 100,000 shoppers flowed through the store each week, consuming, according to newspaper accounts, some 6,500 hot dogs, 2,600 hamburgers, 6,000 slices of pizza and more than 10,000 pieces of fried chicken.

Each year, the store sold more than 1 million doughnuts and 20,000 pounds of Almond Roca. Flood Building. 

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The historic chain traces its lineage to 1879 when Frank Woolworth hit upon the idea of selling merchandise priced at 5 cents or less. He opened The Great Five Cent Store in Utica, but it failed within a year. Undaunted, he moved to Lancaster, Pa., and upped the top price to a dime.

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In 1886, he moved the company to New York City and began buying up other variety stores in the United States, England, France and Germany. By 1905, the chain enjoyed $10 million in sales a year.

After World War II, the company became more aggressive by launching big advertising campaigns, establishing revolving credit and expanding its self-service counters.

Woolworth became the anchor for many Main Street America and their lunch counters became social centers for townspeople who gathered to talk over malts and grilled cheese sandwiches.