Woolworth’s! Kresge’s! Probably others, but lost in the mists of time… or maybe more accurately, in the memory maze of my brain.

Sure, now we have the dollar store. (With creeping inflation, it’s more like the $1.25 – $2.50 store these days!)

Not the same at all. Back when the aforementioned 5-and-dime stores proliferated, the places were huge, and you could see from one end to the other. I don’t recall aisles as such; or if there were, they were not separated from each other by high shelves or walls. There were distinct areas, yes. The stores just seemed a lot more open and airy. Bins of merchandise abounded – and everything was just five or ten cents.

Best of all for my young girlfriends and myself, beginning to practise with make-up, was the long counter chock-full of every potion and lotion you could wish for! It was here at Montreal’s Snowdon-area Woolworth’s where I bought my very first lipstick at age 13 – it was a coral shade made by Cutex. Mascara would follow soon after.

Later, as I mentioned in my post, Snowdon Memories, we would have a treat at the snack counter. I always ordered my favourite: a slice of Devil’s-Food chocolate layer cake for just 15 cents, accompanied by a small coke for 6 cents.

At Kresge’s, it was a similar story, but without that cake…. which was probably why I didn’t go there as often. 😉

I still look longingly at that hallowed spot on Queen Mary Road in Snowdon whenever I pass by!