Friday, January 8, 2010

A Look At The Past


1950s Sandwich Menu from Woolworth's


Note the complete lack of any mention of hamburger!!!


1950s Sandwich Menu from Woolworth's. ...
Our Generation's Fast Food.



If any of you have doubt about what we kids paid for a coke and a sandwich at


Woolworths (How many don't know what Woolworth's was?)

in the 1950s, here's proof of the era we lived...Can you imagine getting a Banana Split for .25 cents, hot chocolate for .15 cents or apple pie for .15 cents. I'm not even sure our children or grandchildren could make these so cheaply. Those were the simple days, days of innocence and times when children could be children without any fears. I well remember riding my bike across town, to Stanford University, when I was in grade school. We played in the hills and were often out for hours at a time without supervision; I can't imagine that being the case today unless you are blessed to live on the land without neighbors. To those who are raising little ones in this day and age, I pray that somehow you can carve out an area in your life that allow your children to play with wild abandonment, to run free and experience the joy of being in nature. For those who live in the cities, I pray the Lord gives you creative alternatives that allow you to get your children out into nature and enjoy their childhood. Of course a good dose of warmth would help; maybe during winter it is the time to build forts inside and play with Lego's or to go cross country skiing as a family.
Have a blessed weekend enjoying the simple things of life.
Noreen


17 comments:

  1. The picture didn't come up for me, but I do have a mental image of the store, food, etc.

    Thanks for a great share this morning.

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  2. Good Morning Noreen...
    Hi sweetie. Woolworths was my favorite place to go. It was so sad when they closed. I can remember so fondly their wooden floor and loving the sound my shoes made as I ran to the back diner to sit on a spinning stool and eat my hamburger and fries, or my malted malt with lots of whipped cream. It was such a wonderful treat, and they had everything that you could imagine. The service was great, the price was right and nobody complained about waiting. Sometimes only one person was there. There was no kitchen, just a grill, lots of containers with the foods, and all sorts of malt making equipment. You could sit and watch everything that they did. What a memory you have given me.

    When we finished our treats ofcourse we could shop for everything from cheap costume jewelry upstairs to a parakeet downstairs. I so loved that store. Thank you so much for sharing with me today.

    I couldn't see your menu tho it didn't load. Have a beautiful Friday sweetie. Country hugs, Sherry

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  3. Oh I remember Woolworths well. In fact my husbands first job when he moved to California after his college graduation was working at Woolworths as a manager in the Sporting goods department!! I have thought these things soo many times. How hard things are for today's kids. You can barely let them play in their own front yards without sitting right there. Even when my kids were young, (not to mention myself) I can remember telling them in the summertime, "Go outside and keep yourselves amused and out of trouble until lunch time. Don't come telling me you can't find anything to do or I will FIND you something to do in here." TV, video games, computers, or sitting around doing nothing was out of the question as far as I was concerned. Run, play, live in an imaginary world. I wouldn't see them for hours sometimes. The boys would come in covered in dirt with tales of what they had been doing. Clubhouses they built with weird boxes and scrapes, games of baseball and football with the neighborhood friends etc. Today you might be arrested if you weren't sure just exactly where your kids were, and they certainly aren't safe. It is just soo sad. Everything is organized sports and much of that is soo competive and stressful for kids I wonder how FUN it really is. Yes, the challenges facing today's young mom's are HUGE. This was such an interesting post and certainly sent me down memory lane. Have a wonderful day. Blessings, Debbie

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  4. loved that post
    I noticed right away...no hamburger
    i lived in to small of town to have a Woolworth
    but when we went to 'town' I sure remember them
    I often remember the days of 'running free'
    now the kids are under lock and key
    my grands don't even play outside that much...sad
    I was just telling my hubby about all the bike wrecks I had as a kid....usually no adult around
    do your grands that live in the country have freedom and room to roam?

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  5. Oh, yes, Noreen, I remember Woolworth's and 5 & 10 stores. I remember how refreshing a fountain coke tasted (or from a glass bottle and returning bottles for deposits). My favorite was a coke float and a BLT. The prices were great!
    Yes, I remember riding my bike(without kneepads) to school(or walking there) and playing for hours outside without a care in the world; except to be home in time for supper. Climbing trees and playing dodge ball.
    I also pray for these young families and that they realize they are richly blessed to "share" their lives with their children.
    Thank you for letting me walk with you through a simplier time.
    Hugs,
    Miriam

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  6. Oh (((Nana)))

    What warm memories I have of Woolworth's. Each Wednesday morning I would get to go "Downtown" with my Gram shopping.
    This was before I was school age.

    We always went to Grant's, Kresky's,Denholms, and would finish at Woolworth's. Many Wednesday's we would meet up there with her dear friend and her grand-daughter Cookie.

    I always ordered the same thing. Grilled Cheese and a Pickle! I can't remember now if it was Grant's or Woolworths were you threw a dart at baloons to see what you would pay for your sundae. I remember once getting mine free!!! You would have thought I won gold!

    Thanks for the memories Nana!
    Hugs, GG

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  7. Hi Nor!
    What a pretty blog you have. Hard to believe they didn't have hamburgers on their yet. LOL! Hugs!

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  8. Thanks for the memories...there is a quote I like that says...

    "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault"

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  9. Oh wow that is a blast from the past. I remember thinking I was such a big shot when I would sit at the counter drinking my cherry coke eating BLT and fries.
    Love the reminder!

    Rose

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  10. Gotta love those old ads! I wasn't around until the 1970's but yes I remember woolworths when my mum use to take us food shopping in there.

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  11. I do indeed remember paying these prices and of those long ago days of fun filled days. Woolworths was my favorite store to plunder around in.
    Thank you for sharing such a beautifull memory with me today, hope your weekend is filled with many more blessings,
    Sue

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  12. Thanks for sharing dear sister. I love looking back on good things.

    I love you and pray for you often dear sister. I hope we can connect more this year.

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  13. Hi Noreen,
    I remember Woolworth's. My sister worked there when she was in her 20's. Wow! That was a long time ago. Thank you sharing!

    Have a blessed Sunday!

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  14. Hi again ~
    Thank you for your sweet, sweet comments on my blog.
    It is a comfort to share my foibles...especially when I truly want to bring God glory by trusting Him and walking in His peace...but let a rotten haircut get me off kilter! What a frail and vain creature I can be!
    Blessings to you and yours~

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  15. I was a child in the 60's, and I remember going to Woolworths! Ours had this awesome staircase that was really wide, and had pretty handrails...weird the things one remembers! I remember the click-clack sound my dressy shoes made on the linoleum stairs... We didn't eat there that I remember, but I do remember us kids riding bikes to Thrifty Drug Store for a nickel scoop of ice cream...oh, yeah, the fun I had that my poor child has never experienced.

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  16. And oh, how wonderful it smelled when you walked in the door. I still remember eating at places like this and the downtown cafes.
    Mama Bear

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