..in downtown Houston
July 17, 2008 (Thursday)
I’m still studying the photograph of buildings in downtown Houston, taken from the JPMorgan Chase Tower. Today I see a vacant lot on the east side of Main Street between Texas and Capitol. Grants and Woolworth were two of the stores in that block.
I can see the Kress building. Kress and Woolworth were almost next door to each other, separated by the street. Grants was next door to Woolworth. An old post card shows the old Queen Theater occupied the lots where Grants was later located. I don’t know if it was the same building or not. All three were bargain-type stores, and we went to them a lot. I loved Kress because the stairs led down to the soda fountain, where every once in a while I would be treated to a strawberry soda, made with ice cream, strawberry syrup, and carbonated water, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Mmmmm. I also loved the toy counter, where I would try out every toy, especially the toy pistols. I liked the six shooters with removable “bullets” and “pearl” handles. Some of them had famous names on them, like Lone Ranger. I got separated from my mother one day in front of Kress. I was a pre-schooler and thought the end of the world had come for me. People tried to help me and were sympathetic when they heard me crying. Finally, Mother showed up and all was right with the world again.
Across the street at Woolworth there were more toys. The store was later abandoned and Woolworth built its huge store (largest Woolworth in the nation) up the street a couple of blocks, but not before I visited the old store innumerable times. As I grew into adolescence and had a little money in my pocket, I would buy things. One of my purchases was a pyrex percolator, a gift for my grandmother.
I had never seen one like it, and never saw one like it anywhere else: a percolator made of glass. My grandmother seemed to like it, and she kept using it until she died, many years later. By that time it was an antique, but still in perfect shape. She treasured it because I had given it to her, but I think she liked using it also. It was easily cleaned. I don’t have any idea what happened to it after her death. (She and my grandfather liked “Bright and Early” Coffee that had a rooster’s picture on the package and the slogan, “Something to crow about.”)
Goodbye, Woolworth and Kress, good old 5 and 10 cent stores. We loved you. Hello, Dollar Stores. We love you, too.