Woolworth's is born in Utica: This week in Mohawk Valley history

1879, 144 years ago

Store No. 1

Frank Winfield Woolworth, an ambitious 27-year-old from Watertown in Northern New York, stands on the north side of Bleecker Street in Utica — near Genesee Street — and has a good feeling that he has found the ideal spot for his first store. It will not be your typical retail store for every item on its shelves will cost only five cents.

Utica is a fast-growing city of 34,000 and Bleecker Street always is busy with pedestrian and carriage traffic. The bankers who own the vacant store tell Woolworth they want $30 a month in rent. He agrees and hires a boy to distribute handbills that read: "Grand Opening — Eight O'Clock on the Evening of Saturday, February 22, 1879." Then he places a sign over the front door: "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store."

On the Friday before the opening, Woolworth is busy placing his stock — which cost him $315.41 — on the shelves. It includes jewelry, dust pans, biscuit cutters and hair ribbons. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. A woman saw Woolworth's handbills and wants to buy a fire shovel. He sells her one for a nickel (and always regretted that he did not get the name of his first customer). On Saturday, he remains open until midnight and sells nine dollars worth of merchandise. (Another version of the story has the woman buying the fire shovel on Saturday, two hours before the opening.)

(Three months later, in mid-May, Woolworth was forced to close his doors for good. The primary reason was a lack of variety of goods he could sell for five cents. When his customers bought what he had on his shelves, there was no reason for them to return. He moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and opened Store No. 2. He had learned a valuable lesson in Utica and stocked his second store with a large variety of goods to be sold for five cents and a dime. The store was a huge success and grew into the most famous chain of retail stores in the world — F.W. Woolworth's Five and Dime Stores.

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(Until the late 1990s, hundreds of Woolworth stores -- with their very popular lunch counters -- served millions of people throughout the world. In the 1880s, Woolworth returned to Utica and opened a store not too far from his Store No. 1 he had opened in 1879.)

1923, 100 years ago

War on drugs

Utica police begin a crackdown on drug dealers in the city after numerous complaints from citizens. Police Chief Timothy D. McCarthy forms a special unit "to probe the activities of dope peddlers in cocaine, morphine, heroin and other habit-forming drugs with a view of stamping out the evil in the city."

1948, 75 years ago

UFA promotions

Fred J. Collins is appointed head of the physical education department at Utica Free Academy (UFA). Others added to the department are Cornelia L. Breen, Bernard P. Grestl, Joseph J. Jursak and Anne Wright.

1973, 50 years ago

Mayoral candidates

In Utica, city Treasurer Louis Barile emerges as a possible Democratic Party candidate to challenge Republican Mayor Michael Caruso. Other Democrats who say they are interested are Councilmen Frank Andrello and Louis LaPolla, Oneida County probation officer Frank Scalise, accountant Alfred Fraccola and city Comptroller Sebastian Convertino.

In high school hockey, the Clinton Central Warriors starting line includes Jamie Conway, Don Hawthorne and Doug Schreppel.

1998, 25 years ago

School moves

The Utica Board of Education removes the ninth grade from Thomas R. Proctor High School and moves it to the John F. Kennedy and James H. Donovan middle schools. Also, six graders are sent from middle schools back to elementary schools. The moves will cost about $500,000, not including transportation.

The Trenton Town Board appoints a Town Historic Committee "to collect and maintain historic records and oral histories." Appointed are: Richard Axt, John Brown, Barbara Cale, D. Collins and Betsy Mack.

The Mohawk Valley Transportation Club elects Tony Palladino as its president. Others elected include: Ron Bowen, first vice president; Fran Caiola, second vice president, and Peter A. Duniec, secretary-treasurer.

2013, 10 years ago

Genesis honors nine

The Genesis Group's "Striving for Success" event honors nine young successful members of the Mohawk Valley community. The program recognizes young leaders and encourages them to stay in the area. The nine honored are: Kevin Donovan, Sarah Foster, Meghan Fraser, Jon Paul Kidwell, Francesca Magro, Kristy Nole, Danielle Padula, Laura Powers and Grant Rosen.

Stuart Card is named director of the Ziyara Shriner's Drum & Bugle Corps. William Chappell is president; Michael Dunn, first vice president; James Nagy, second vice president, and Fred Munson, secretary.

In high school basketball, Christina Graziadei scores 31 points to lead Oriskany over New York Mill, 40 to 37. Domenique Talerico adds seven points and 10 rebounds.

Trivia quiz

When this U.S. president was inaugurated, it was said that "he never took too much to golf. He is more of a softball man. He plays tennis a bit, loves fishing and is crazy about auto racing. But golf? Forget it." They were talking about (a) Calvin Coolidge, (b) Harry Truman, (c) Lyndon B. Johnson or (d) Jimmy Carter. (Answer will appear here next week.)

Answer to last week's question: Ulysses S. Grant was the first president whose parents were both alive when he was inaugurated. He was sworn in at age 46 on March 4, 1869. His father, Jesse Root Grant, died at age 79 in 1873. His mother, Hannah Simpson Grant, died at age 84 in 1883.

This Week in History is researched and written by Frank Tomaino. E-mail him at ftomaino221@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Woolworth's first store opens in Utica: Mohawk Valley history