This isn't quite the actual experience of the Woolworth's Lunch Counter. It is similar but I don't remember them having burgers and fries. I remember sandwiches - both sliced meat and the "salad" type sandwiches (egg, chicken, tuna..) - as well as coffee, hot chocolate, fountain drinks, and desserts like apple pie and ice cream.
I used to absolutely love picking out candy at Woolworth’s when I was kid. There was something different and special about that store. It even smelled different inside than other stores, like, and old wood floor comforting smell or at least the one I went to always did. This was the mid 80’s and I was really little, I always wished I could remember more of what it looked like but these videos really help! Thank you for this, sir. Excellent work.
When I was very little in the 1970s my Mom would take me to eat at Woolworth's. I'd always get a hot dog and a grape drink. I remember the drink was served in a cone shaped paper cup that was held up with a metal holder with a small handle on it. This fascinated me for some reason. I think the last time I was in a Woolworth's was in the mid 1980s, when I was a teen. I miss it to this day.
@@janlovesmany6058 You're totally and completely wrong!! The diner is just as it was 50+ years ago, I know because I live in Bakersfield California and have been going to this luncheonette since I can remember being a 5 year old child. My parents use to eat here when they were teenagers and they said that it looks the same as it does now. Have you even eaten here to be making lame comments??
@@pumasgoya traditionally, yes. It's a Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish, Swiss, Italian & maltese surname. I guess I am just lucky to have it as a first name. Thanks for caring! 🤗
@@TheeJavv that’s funny because being Hispanic, I’ve always know Miranda to be a first name lol. Then I met people with it as a last name and was confused 😂
Im 75 now but my grandma would take me to there in the 50s. It was a big deal for me riding the bus into town and then sitting at the counter in the fixed stools and drinking coke in the paper cones held in the metal holders. Very special memories
I sure wish that they would bring back all of those GREAT stores that we used to have and their prices! You could buy a real nice boxed candy dish for a wedding gift for .79, this was at Wigwam, another awesome store was Grants, FANTASTIC prices as well, I also LOVED Meredith's 5 &10 and Ben Franklin 5 & 10 as well as Woolworth's!! But, I guess those stores and days are long gone!! 😢
First ate there when I was 7. Last time I ate there I was 70. Also remember Newberry's Department store and diner a couple of blocks to the West. Bakersfield Woolworth is a cool place to step back in time. Great job
Oh my gosh NEWBERRYS...did all my shopping there in the 60's. Would buy gifts for my mother there for mere pennies and they were good made in the USA!!
Oh yeah, Newberry's and Lerner's department stores, I sure do remember them! They were next door to each other in the Northgate Shopping Mall here in Seattle Washington, mom took grandma and I to do our Christmas shopping there (I was just little maybe around 6 or so), and grandma had just bought my mom and my 2 aunts some sweaters with her "charge-a-plate", and we turned around to leave the high cashier counter that they had), and grandma bent down to pick up her package and it was gone, someone had just stolen those sweaters! So, my mom and my 2 aunts didn't get anything for Christmas that year.
My dad would always take my sister and I to Woolworth’s back in the 60’s. We went a lot. Always went to the lunch counter. My favorite was the hot chocolate with the whipped cream and they gave you two little cookies with it. So good. Love those memories.
I remember going to Woolworth with my Mom. After shopping we always ending our shopping trips with a sundae at the lunch counter. They had balloons at the counter that you would chose to pop and a piece of paper was inside with the price of how much money you would have to pay for your sundae. One time I actually choose a ballon that said one penny inside, so I paid one penny for a delicious sundae. Woolworth was the best, fond memories. It was so much fun to shop there. Thanks for the great memories!
I'm 40 now and still remember my mother and me taking public transit from our city up into Atlanta so we could shop in Woolworth. It was always an adventure! I'm glad an antique's dealer got to this store before a modern chain or just someone who would have changed the aesthetic did. What a cool place to visit.
@@williamhayes834 Five Points on Broad St. Not far from the marta station I think there was a Kessler's near by as well and one store still has the Buster Brown neon sign up, but the neon is gone...Its all independent non-chain stores now. Nothing to travel out for but it used to be nice.
I had no idea this had been restored. I used to take care of the HVAC there until they closed in the early 90’s. I worked for York as did my father and grandfather. All 3 generations of us worked there since the 50’s as the equipment in the Air Conditioning room was York. When you walked up to the second floor it brought back a lot of memories. It sounds like the original refrigeration compressor is still operational. I have to get down there to check it out and have some lunch! Thanks so much for this vid!
@Charlie Messenger Wow. That's amazing you found this video of the place re-opened, could you come back and give us your impressions of the place today compared to when you worked on the HVAC? Thanks!
@charliemessenger6537 .......I am writing to you from San Francisco .....I am a native......In the old days there were quite a few Woolworth's Stores in San Francisco it was my top favorite store ....good value stuff that would last you a lifetime and more ...Thank you for your family history and how your family service their HVAC equipment so KOOL....how I wish I could go back in a time capsule for a whole day back to Woolworth's....they even had one in Oahu and all the way to Miami ...thank you guys for the service you dedicated.....!!!!!!..my great uncle daddle a little in HVAC and it has always fascinated me although I am a gal/mom .....Thank you for the dedication of your family........And thank you for the great story.....!!!!!🌁🌁🌁🌁🍩☕🍩☕🌹🌱🌎🌿🌻⛵⛵🌺🌺🌺🌺🛟⚓🌁🛟⚓🌁 The Estrada's Mom and son😊😊😊
You are walking through my childhood. I can still smell the wood and feel the lunch counter under my fingers. The bana splits were outstanding and we could wander for hours just going in to buy safety pins.
I live in Bakersfield so I remember going to this Woolworth when I was a kid. I loved when we ate there at the luncheon counter. They had such good hamburgers. That was about fifty years ago. Good ole days.
Sound good .i remember the Woolworth we went to in laurel md and Baltimore County. I remember the cafe.and how the stores where inside .i say the seventy where great
I truely miss The Woolworths here in NYC. The food at the diner was great and the bargains on retail items couldn't be beat. Really wish the remaining family members would revive the chain of stores.
My father drove for McDonald's brothers trucking company green Ford cabs 48' trailers said Woolworth's on the side do you remember best 🍟 fries and a hot dog 🌭 yummy man I miss those days & my parents
WOW, I live in Bakersfield and used to go there all the time when I was in High School. I think it's time for another visit, as I haven't been in a while. Love going here, you can get lost for hours on end!
My grandfather was the manager there and my grandma worked next doors at Brock's.... I spend many a time at the lunch counter and anywhere else I wanted to be in the store, I knew to behave and not touch, after all my Papa managed it!! Haven't been able to go in since I was kid, and it was closed and then reopened it feels to emotional to go in since my Papa is gone now seems like it might feel empty even with all the stuff in it. However I really want to go that lunch counter one more time!!! Maybe soon I will.. loved it when I was little and was so happy there!! Just so thrilled it's well loved and taken care!!
This was amazing...My memories of Woolworth's are of the one in Seattle. I remember going to the lunch counter with my Grandma and getting to pick treats from the revolving dessert cabinet.
Thank you this wonderful trip takes me back to my youth. My aunt would treat me to a turkey club sandwich and vegetable soup at the lunch counter. One of my favorite childhood memories.
Steve S - I remember always longing for a club sandwich, but my Dad’s budget only ever allowed me a grilled cheese or hot dog. This was in the 50s-60s.🙂
My last Woolworth purchase was a TV stand from the Berkshire Mall (Wyomissing, PA) location during liquidation in '97. I still use it, too. It was great you could get a "behind the scenes" look at that place, Ace.
The last time I shopped at Woolworth's was back in '80's when I was a kid at the Southgate Mall (no longer exists). I remember getting a few goldfish there and my big wheel. Next to the store was the luncheonette and we ate there too.
We used to have a Wolco in North Haven CT in the 80s and it had a restaurant called The Red Grille in the back of the store.. This video took me back 40yrs to my childhood.. Thanks Again My Friend.. The last vid I watched of yours took me back to The Playboy Club and now Woolworths.. Unreal. Thank You
I work near downtown Bakersfield and eat here on a regular basis. The burgers are really good (ask for “cowboy style”). Those are legit fallout rations from when that building was a designated fallout shelter. They are not for sale.
@@PuntaPacifica507 War Dog isn't "kidding" about buying an alligator there. My best friend bought a Pirana at Woolworths in Louisville, Kentucky. I think it was the Summer of 1965 or 1966. I was with him. He wanted a baby alligator...BUT...his mom said HELL NO!!!! :-)) Kind regards, Ben
This place is amazing. Too cool and awesome. I wish it was near Chicago. The luncheonette is beautiful. I loved the video. Thanks for such a nice tour of the store.
What an amazing, beautiful building! Thanks for taking me on this cool trip. I have family in Bakersfield. I spent many summers, holidays out there. Things change We change. Arvin, Lamont…THE ROOT BEER KING! ❤ good times
It would be nice if someone would buy the rights to the Woolworth's name and open the stores up again but with the decline of JC Penney, Sears and Kmart, I doubt that will ever happen.
@John Becker There definitely is a market for these types of stores, but greed is so strong in the USA that all anyone cares about anymore in the USA is the last red cent of shareholder return, it wasn't that way up until the 1970s.
Problem is the Woolworths company still exists. They renamed themselves as Foot Locker in 1997. Recently Foot Locker reregistered the Woolworths trademark
Actually this isn't the only Woolworth's that's still around. There's one in Asheville, NC. It has also been repurposed into an antique mall/gallery. It's luncheonette counter was restored in the early 2000s and you can still grab soda fountain "eats" there.
Back in the 1990's my husband and I vacationed on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, and we found a Woolworth's, we were shocked and very happy! We were looking to buy some souvenirs, cause we were leaving the next day to come home, and we just got inside and looked around then the closing announcement came on saying that they were closing, so we had to grab some souvenirs quickly and head to the cashier.
Our little town in Kansas had a Woolwoth as well growing up. My sister and I would race up there every Saturday morning to buy a 45 record and then go to the drugstore counter for a shake. We loved It. Such good times and memories
We used to shop at Woolworths in downtown Miami circa mid 1970's. When that front door open you'd get a blast of cold air with the aroma of fried chicken. I remember there always being many women and children shopping and going about their business. I'm 50 now and those days are gone. Thank heavens for our memories. Thanks for sharing this.
I’m so happy that you have shared this video with your subscribers! I remember shopping here with my mom when I was a child. Great memories! Thank you!
This makes me so sad.... I'm miss the good old days. What a gem! The handrails! Omg! And that employee door. I could go on and on. Thanks for sharing some good memories from my childhood. 👍
Wow when I was in hair school in St Petersburg Florida. There was a Woolworths right next door to us. I went there every single day for lunch at the lunch counter. It was one of the most amazing times in my life. I love this video. The smell when you would walk into a Woolworths was amazing.
Here's the menu. Not 1960s prices. My aunt used to take me to Woolworths. I remember it was the first time I saw German Chocolate Cake! www.zmenu.com/woolworth-diner-bakersfield-online-menu/
@@winddmmy Nope. It was always a grilled cheese and a vanilla frappe til I discovered German Chocolate Cake but when my aunt was taking me to Woolworth's I was 3!
Oh my.. what memories.. 1968-73 Pembroke Mall Va Beach. Woolworths there had this awesome hotdog that as a kid I thought were the best and so different from any other with buttery toasted buns. The buns were toasted to order as well. I learned decades later via the internet that they used New England-style buns. Thank you for your work with this video.
I love this place!!! I live in bakersfield and have been coming here for years. I love the huge antique mall and the burgers at the lunch counter are in my opinion the best local burgers in town.
Way way back to the 50's...the smells of a turkey plate with mash, brown gravy, beans at the lunch counter permeated the store; the green malt blenders whirring; the swivel chairs. Those were the days. Thanks for the walk into a humbled past. Will definitely make a days trip up from LA. Maybe take the Greyhound!!
Hi. Thanks SO much for the trip back in time. My Mom and I would walk up the avenue here in NE Philly, on Saturday to go shop and eat lunch at good ole Woolworths. It was always a special day. It was in the 60's and 70's. There was a great toy dept, pet dept was kool too. Always a loose parakeet flying around. DONT TOUCH THE TURTLES, the old lady employee would say.... At the food counter, you would get your grilled cheese,with pickle spear, or a grilled hot dog. For dessert, it was a big ball of ice cream with thick hot fudge, or the best of all, you would pick a colored balloon from the above counter close line...the counter lady stuck it with a big hat pin....whatever price was seen on a small folded piece of white paper, was your cost of the banana split....the most you could pay was 69 cents..!!! Y E S. It was magical. You thought you were in another world in Woolworths. The nostalgic memories pull at my heart strings....R I P Mom.....TY for all your care, and treating me sooo well......🙏❤❤❤❤❤❤
Omg..this store brought back memories and tears..I remember going there as a little boy..o how I wish these stores are still around here..it bring so much sadness that times have changed so much..the current stores are so sterile and cold..loyal employees are definately gone...best of health to the elderly who remembers this..
Awww I miss Woolworth, there was one a block away from my house growing up. We would go there all the time. My friends and I (teenagers in the late 70’s) would look at makeup and hair products, it was awesome. And the kitchen made THE BEST GRILLED CHEESE.
I remember this store growing up we go bowling Saturday morning then after go for lunch and sit on them stools at the counter I loved it thank you for sharing great memories ❤️😀
Which Woolworth's was that Bryan? I know that the Woolworth's store in Aurora Village in Seattle Washington (gone now), had ceiling fans, I'm not sure about the Northgate Shopping Mall Woolworth's.
Oh my gosh just found this video!! Took me back when I was around 6-7 years old shopping with my Mom and we always had our lunch at the Woolworth lunch counter!! Best grilled cheese patty melt and coke!! Brilliant video and such a nice lady to give you more looks and information!! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!!😁
Wonderful. My mother worked for Woolworth, in Southgate, Michigan,from 1958 through 1961. My mother worked the lunch counter. At the time it was a good company to work for.
Wow I now have memories from childhood that came back. I remember the lemonade and trying to go up and down those big steps. Mom would promise to get me something to eat and drink if I was patient will she shopped.
I'm 67. Lived on both coasts of US and several places in between. Always looked for Woolsworth as my go to five and dime. Last time i was in a Woolworth was in 1983. It was and always will be the best store I ever shopped in for many reasons. And the lunch counter will always hold a special place in the hearts of anyone lucky enough to eat at one. This one in Bakersfield is amazing. Those Civil defense rations were dated 1964. Saw an old school desk too.. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
The last time I saw a place like this in person was at Kresge's in Watertown, WI back in the early 1970s before it shut down and the chain became KMart. I remember the creaky wooden floors, buying corduroys, and that lunch counter. And the hospital in town had an automat!
I remember my neighborhood Luncheonette. First time I went there alone without an adult , I didn’t have enough money on me. The lady let me walk back to get more after I ate. My best friend and I would go there to buy the best stationary to write letters to each other. We’d buy invitations for birthday parties and stuff. They had a lot of vending machines when you first walk in and snow cones in the Summer. We’d buy our TV tubes from there up until early 80’s. You could buy goldfish or parakeets there. I remember I cut my pinky finger on a glass shelf in my local Woolworth’s. My friend’s adult sister used to work there, she helped me bandage it up. I still have the scar almost 45 years later. Thanks for the memories! Great video!
Cool. Added to my list of stops for whenever we get around to my dream trip of driving the Route. I only regret that you did not put a quarter in that chicken gumball-machine thing, lol. Also, as a former manager of a department store, just thinking about doing inventory at this place gives me PTSD by proxy! Cool cool spot, thanks for sharing!
I ate there as a kid, it smells good near the diner, vintage buildings stand the test of time, the feeling in there is grand every time I go there It's nostalgic 💓
YES YES!!! many memories I remember the layout of the department’s back in the 60ths since I was born here in Bakersfield, came to buy my paper dolls then came to buy my make-up then came to buy for my home 😢😫😢
Paper Dolls, oh how I remember playing with my paper dolls, changing their outfits was so much fun! I really feel sorry for girls these days, they'll never know how much fun you can have with paper dolls!
Yes there are 3 of the Cafes still left in Mexico. There are several Woolworth stores in Mexico but nothing like we had here in the USA. I have personally been to 2 Woolworth locations in Mexico. The stores are way different these days and have a big focus on apparel. I would say close to 75% of the stores is apparel and the remaining part of the store has a variety of departments including electronics, housewares, toys, sporting goods, health and beauty, candy, and seasonal items. Some locations have the original old school exteriors, but the interior of the stores is modern.
I remember having lunch at the local Woolworths here in Tampico, Mexico in the late 90's, the luncheonette remained in the store probably until the early 2000's, and even when it disappeared, the store continued for a few years, but it closed around four or five years ago.
I remember having lunch at the local Woolworths here in Tampico, Mexico in the late 90's, the luncheonette remained in the store probably until the early 2000's, and even when it disappeared, the store continued for a few years, but it closed around four or five years ago.
That seriously made me get choked up and cry because I used to go to a Woolworth's in Minneapolis,MN I miss it so much, what a wonderful place and the diner was fantastic, thankyou for making this video,
The Stairs! They were marble with steel strips on the edge. I would sit and straighten my legs, lift my heels and slide down the stairs to the bottom. I Loved Woolworths!!!
I loved Woolworth’s. We had two in my town just blocks apart. One very large with two staircases leading to basement, a front food counter and a lunch counter to the left as you enter the store in three back. Good food. They had pizza at the front food counter you could buy by the piece. It was delicious. I was so sad to see it go. Everything just about that I remember fondly from my childhood is now gone. Gone in favor of malls which are now becoming obsolete. Gone are the gorgeous old hotels. My hometown was pretty much destroyed during the TVs during what they called “urban renewal” and which I refer to as “urban destruction”. So very sad. Thanks for this video. Brings back so many fond memories and at the same time makes me feel a bit sad. I watched this same video 4 years ago and am enjoying it again. My comment then is similar to this one.
OMG this brings back memories! You walk into the store are the smells of the lunch counter: coffee, pastries, etc. Then the merchandise, almost everything you could think of and so affordable. I cried when they closed it in our town.😢.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm an Australian learning about the history of America and this is absolutely amazing seeing a bit of American history still in existence.
Please came to Fresno international
Sitting and having lunch in a department store. There was nothing like it!
This isn't quite the actual experience of the Woolworth's Lunch Counter. It is similar but I don't remember them having burgers and fries. I remember sandwiches - both sliced meat and the "salad" type sandwiches (egg, chicken, tuna..) - as well as coffee, hot chocolate, fountain drinks, and desserts like apple pie and ice cream.
@@bncsmom1 Oh my. You're gonna complain about burgers and fries?
Do a little research on the c.i.a. you will be amazed the shit they cover up
I used to absolutely love picking out candy at Woolworth’s when I was kid. There was something different and special about that store. It even smelled different inside than other stores, like, and old wood floor comforting smell or at least the one I went to always did. This was the mid 80’s and I was really little, I always wished I could remember more of what it looked like but these videos really help! Thank you for this, sir. Excellent work.
There's something so great about eating at the lunch counter and seeing the food being made in front of you and the clink of restaurant china dishes
Agree
And the aromas too!
When I was very little in the 1970s my Mom would take me to eat at Woolworth's. I'd always get a hot dog and a grape drink. I remember the drink was served in a cone shaped paper cup that was held up with a metal holder with a small handle on it. This fascinated me for some reason. I think the last time I was in a Woolworth's was in the mid 1980s, when I was a teen. I miss it to this day.
I remember those paper cups in the metal containers!
I also remember those days the lunch counter and the daily specials that would cost a $1.50. Life was so much simpler back then.
They had the best hot dogs!!
Oh me too!
So refreshing & peaceful to step back to a time before internet & social media
That was neat, they've turned it into a cool antique store while still keeping the memory of Woolsworth's alive!
I don't like antiques but, I LOVED Woolworth's, Grants, Wigwam, Ben Franklin 5 & 10, Meredith's 5&10 !!
All their doing is keeping the old sign out front going is all... thoroughly disappointed in this come-on video...click bait!!
@@janlovesmany6058 You're totally and completely wrong!! The diner is just as it was 50+ years ago, I know because I live in Bakersfield California and have been going to this luncheonette since I can remember being a 5 year old child. My parents use to eat here when they were teenagers and they said that it looks the same as it does now. Have you even eaten here to be making lame comments??
Way to represent Bakersfield! I love this gem!
Miranda Javner yeah some areas in there feel creepy great setting for a scary movie
@@foff2246 I definitely agree! Or Kernville, their antique shops.
Miranda is a last name.
@@pumasgoya traditionally, yes. It's a Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish, Swiss, Italian & maltese surname. I guess I am just lucky to have it as a first name. Thanks for caring! 🤗
@@TheeJavv that’s funny because being Hispanic, I’ve always know Miranda to be a first name lol. Then I met people with it as a last name and was confused 😂
Im 75 now but my grandma would take me to there in the 50s. It was a big deal for me riding the bus into town and then sitting at the counter in the fixed stools and drinking coke in the paper cones held in the metal holders. Very special memories
This is absolutely amazing. I wish there was something like this on the east coast. I miss Woolworth so much. Outstanding job Anthony. Thank you.
I sure wish that they would bring back all of those GREAT stores that we used to have and their prices! You could buy a real nice boxed candy dish for a wedding gift for .79, this was at Wigwam, another awesome store was Grants, FANTASTIC prices as well, I also LOVED Meredith's 5 &10 and Ben Franklin 5 & 10 as well as Woolworth's!! But, I guess those stores and days are long gone!! 😢
@@fgt2078 Yes, I truly and sadly agree with you.
@@fgt2078 nowadays stores like this now is being vandalized... very sad the old days are truly gone
Mhm would love to come on down there and go shop there
Maybe like in Greensboro, NC? Then it could commemorate some real history!
All I can say is WOW! Preserved and not hacked to pieces.
First ate there when I was 7. Last time I ate there I was 70. Also remember Newberry's Department store and diner a couple of blocks to the West. Bakersfield Woolworth is a cool place to step back in time. Great job
Haha
Yes on So. H
I loved going there with my mom in the 80s 😂
Oh my gosh NEWBERRYS...did all my shopping there in the 60's. Would buy gifts for my mother there for mere pennies and they were good made in the USA!!
Oh yeah, Newberry's and Lerner's department stores, I sure do remember them! They were next door to each other in the Northgate Shopping Mall here in Seattle Washington, mom took grandma and I to do our Christmas shopping there (I was just little maybe around 6 or so), and grandma had just bought my mom and my 2 aunts some sweaters with her "charge-a-plate", and we turned around to leave the high cashier counter that they had), and grandma bent down to pick up her package and it was gone, someone had just stolen those sweaters! So, my mom and my 2 aunts didn't get anything for Christmas that year.
I remember newberrys too
@@didibolter9362 Unfortunately, it seems Seattle hasn't changed much since then.
Respectfully, Ben
The owners were so kind to let you tour the whole place
@97RAVINEAVE yes hopefully. this place is so historic
Is that all he can say was " Wow... Oh my Gosh!!" LoL!
My dad would always take my sister and I to Woolworth’s back in the 60’s. We went a lot. Always went to the lunch counter. My favorite was the hot chocolate with the whipped cream and they gave you two little cookies with it. So good. Love those memories.
I remember going to Woolworth with my Mom. After shopping we always ending our shopping trips with a sundae at the lunch counter. They had balloons at the counter that you would chose to pop and a piece of paper was inside with the price of how much money you would have to pay for your sundae. One time I actually choose a ballon that said one penny inside, so I paid one penny for a delicious sundae. Woolworth was the best, fond memories. It was so much fun to shop there. Thanks for the great memories!
I'm 40 now and still remember my mother and me taking public transit from our city up into Atlanta so we could shop in Woolworth. It was always an adventure! I'm glad an antique's dealer got to this store before a modern chain or just someone who would have changed the aesthetic did. What a cool place to visit.
what part of atlanta? i used to go to the one in mableton ga.
@@williamhayes834 Five Points on Broad St. Not far from the marta station I think there was a Kessler's near by as well and one store still has the Buster Brown neon sign up, but the neon is gone...Its all independent non-chain stores now. Nothing to travel out for but it used to be nice.
@@recycledreanee9322 thank you
This is absolutely amazing. I love how it has remained a time capsule.
I had no idea this had been restored. I used to take care of the HVAC there until they closed in the early 90’s. I worked for York as did my father and grandfather. All 3 generations of us worked there since the 50’s as the equipment in the Air Conditioning room was York. When you walked up to the second floor it brought back a lot of memories. It sounds like the original refrigeration compressor is still operational. I have to get down there to check it out and have some lunch! Thanks so much for this vid!
@Charlie Messenger
Wow. That's amazing you found this video of the place re-opened, could you come back and give us your impressions of the place today compared to when you worked on the HVAC? Thanks!
I would love to some time. I’m up in Clovis. I’ll have to make some time on a Mon (my day off).
@charliemessenger6537 .......I am writing to you from San Francisco .....I am a native......In the old days there were quite a few Woolworth's Stores in San Francisco it was my top favorite store ....good value stuff that would last you a lifetime and more ...Thank you for your family history and how your family service their HVAC equipment so KOOL....how I wish I could go back in a time capsule for a whole day back to Woolworth's....they even had one in Oahu and all the way to Miami ...thank you guys for the service you dedicated.....!!!!!!..my great uncle daddle a little in HVAC and it has always fascinated me although I am a gal/mom .....Thank you for the dedication of your family........And thank you for the great story.....!!!!!🌁🌁🌁🌁🍩☕🍩☕🌹🌱🌎🌿🌻⛵⛵🌺🌺🌺🌺🛟⚓🌁🛟⚓🌁 The Estrada's Mom and son😊😊😊
You are walking through my childhood. I can still smell the wood and feel the lunch counter under my fingers. The bana splits were outstanding and we could wander for hours just going in to buy safety pins.
I live in Bakersfield so I remember going to this Woolworth when I was a kid. I loved when we ate there at the luncheon counter. They had such good hamburgers. That was about fifty years ago. Good ole days.
I am from Bakersfield too. I would go here with my grandparents in the 80s.
50 years indeed!!😷
Sound good .i remember the Woolworth we went to in laurel md and Baltimore County. I remember the cafe.and how the stores where inside .i say the seventy where great
Is it still opened as an antique store?
@@suzannelawson9215 I guess it's still. Open never bern
I truely miss The Woolworths here in NYC. The food at the diner was great and the bargains on retail items couldn't be beat. Really wish the remaining family members would revive the chain of stores.
My father drove for McDonald's brothers trucking company green Ford cabs 48' trailers said Woolworth's on the side do you remember best 🍟 fries and a hot dog 🌭 yummy man I miss those days & my parents
🕯🕯 Missing my parents, too. 🥺
Woolworth's ~ fond memories ✨️
@@lotharhamburg5343
WOW, I live in Bakersfield and used to go there all the time when I was in High School. I think it's time for another visit, as I haven't been in a while. Love going here, you can get lost for hours on end!
Lucky you.
I love that architecture, especially the facade, rails and the stairs. The diner is amazing!
My grandfather was the manager there and my grandma worked next doors at Brock's.... I spend many a time at the lunch counter and anywhere else I wanted to be in the store, I knew to behave and not touch, after all my Papa managed it!! Haven't been able to go in since I was kid, and it was closed and then reopened it feels to emotional to go in since my Papa is gone now seems like it might feel empty even with all the stuff in it. However I really want to go that lunch counter one more time!!! Maybe soon I will.. loved it when I was little and was so happy there!! Just so thrilled it's well loved and taken care!!
when i was a wee lad, my mom worked for Woolwoth's... use to eat in the Harvest House all the time... food was great...
Wow I forgot all about this being in Bakersfield I remember going there as a little kid with my mom thanks for the nostalgia
This was amazing...My memories of Woolworth's are of the one in Seattle. I remember going to the lunch counter with my Grandma and getting to pick treats from the revolving dessert cabinet.
I remember the one in Bremerton 😊
I worked in the one in the U-district and helped close four of the stores in the early 80's.
Thank you this wonderful trip takes me back to my youth. My aunt would treat me to a turkey club sandwich and vegetable soup at the lunch counter. One of my favorite childhood memories.
Steve S - I remember always longing for a club sandwich, but my Dad’s budget only ever allowed me a grilled cheese or hot dog. This was in the 50s-60s.🙂
I used to go in this Woolworth's all the time as a kid back in the early🥰🥰 70s. Best milkshakes in town!
My last Woolworth purchase was a TV stand from the Berkshire Mall (Wyomissing, PA) location during liquidation in '97. I still use it, too. It was great you could get a "behind the scenes" look at that place, Ace.
It's ashame what has happened to Berkshire. Really went downhill fast.
Woolworth was in the current Boscovs right?
@@QuinnDickinson2610 IIRC, Woolworth was between the current Boscov's and the former Bon Ton.
Wow like stepping into my childhood thanks so much for this. Amazing 👏
Absolutely amazing. This place is a national treasure.
I would go to this very store with my grandparents in the 80s. Moved out of Bakersfield 16 years ago. Didn't know they reopened this place
The last time I shopped at Woolworth's was back in '80's when I was a kid at the Southgate Mall (no longer exists). I remember getting a few goldfish there and my big wheel. Next to the store was the luncheonette and we ate there too.
Assuming you're a Michigander like myself. :) Our local Woolworth was at Oakland Mall.
@@crawford586 Nope, I am your neighbor to west of you across the lake. :)
@@genxerkim5073 Ah ok. We have a defunct Southgate Mall here in SE Michigan as well. My best to you in the Badger State.
@@crawford586 That's cool. Thank you! Wishing you the best as well.
I suppose you people in the United States nowadays have Walmart & Target
We used to have a Wolco in North Haven CT in the 80s and it had a restaurant called The Red Grille in the back of the store.. This video took me back 40yrs to my childhood.. Thanks Again My Friend.. The last vid I watched of yours took me back to The Playboy Club and now Woolworths.. Unreal. Thank You
I work near downtown Bakersfield and eat here on a regular basis. The burgers are really good (ask for “cowboy style”).
Those are legit fallout rations from when that building was a designated fallout shelter. They are not for sale.
It’s not a museum. It’s now an antique store.
And will probably last another 50 years!!
What a blast from the past! Thank you!
My dad bought an alligator at the store, back in the 50’s. You could buy anything there. I go there once a month and have a burger. Best in town
And they used to sell baby turtles, too...complete with their little pens.
You’re kidding right.?
@@PuntaPacifica507 War Dog isn't "kidding" about buying an alligator there.
My best friend bought a Pirana at Woolworths in Louisville, Kentucky.
I think it was the Summer of 1965 or 1966. I was with him.
He wanted a baby alligator...BUT...his mom said HELL NO!!!! :-))
Kind regards, Ben
Best burgers for sure
Amazing! So nice of her to take you around! This is on my list of places to visit. Great video
This place is amazing. Too cool and awesome. I wish it was near Chicago. The luncheonette is beautiful. I loved the video. Thanks for such a nice tour of the store.
All the Woolworths I grew up near in chicago only had 1 floor .
Of all the retail establishments which have disappeared from our lives, Woolworth's, I miss the most! Thanks for this tour, and the visit "back".
Glad you enjoyed it!
What an amazing, beautiful building! Thanks for taking me on this cool trip. I have family in Bakersfield. I spent many summers, holidays out there. Things change We change. Arvin, Lamont…THE ROOT BEER KING! ❤ good times
Woolworths, boy does that take me back 50 years
I remember going to Woolworth's and TG&Y with my Mama and Auntie when I was a kid, thanks for churning up some fond memories!
It would be nice if someone would buy the rights to the Woolworth's name and open the stores up again but with the decline of JC Penney, Sears and Kmart, I doubt that will ever happen.
I believe Australia has done that but they aren't the same type of store.
sadiejosiemom This true. Woolworth’s in Aus is basically a grocery store, however (like Kroger, Harris Teeter etc.).
Yes...that should also apply to the stores name out front as well!!
@John Becker
There definitely is a market for these types of stores, but greed is so strong in the USA that all anyone cares about anymore in the USA is the last red cent of shareholder return, it wasn't that way up until the 1970s.
Problem is the Woolworths company still exists. They renamed themselves as Foot Locker in 1997. Recently Foot Locker reregistered the Woolworths trademark
Actually this isn't the only Woolworth's that's still around. There's one in Asheville, NC. It has also been repurposed into an antique mall/gallery. It's luncheonette counter was restored in the early 2000s and you can still grab soda fountain "eats" there.
Back in the 1990's my husband and I vacationed on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, and we found a Woolworth's, we were shocked and very happy! We were looking to buy some souvenirs, cause we were leaving the next day to come home, and we just got inside and looked around then the closing announcement came on saying that they were closing, so we had to grab some souvenirs quickly and head to the cashier.
I visited the one in the Nashville, Tenn. "gulch" area 2 years ago.
Do they have food
@@johnnyyuma3878 They do indeed 🍽️
What's the name of the repurposed woolworth's?
I love your video of the Woolworth store .thank you for tapering it .ill never get to go see it in person .it brings back memories
Our little town in Kansas had a Woolwoth as well growing up. My sister and I would race up there every Saturday morning to buy a 45 record and then go to the drugstore counter for a shake. We loved It. Such good times and memories
I got to shop at a two story Woolworths 5NDime in Birmingham Alabama, fantastic video!
We used to shop at Woolworths in downtown Miami circa mid 1970's. When that front door open you'd get a blast of cold air with the aroma of fried chicken. I remember there always being many women and children shopping and going about their business. I'm 50 now and those days are gone. Thank heavens for our memories. Thanks for sharing this.
I’m so happy that you have shared this video with your subscribers! I remember shopping here with my mom when I was a child. Great memories! Thank you!
This makes me so sad.... I'm miss the good old days. What a gem! The handrails! Omg! And that employee door. I could go on and on. Thanks for sharing some good memories from my childhood. 👍
I'm from Bakersfield and I remember this place! What a blast from the past!
Wow when I was in hair school in St Petersburg Florida. There was a Woolworths right next door to us. I went there every single day for lunch at the lunch counter. It was one of the most amazing times in my life. I love this video. The smell when you would walk into a Woolworths was amazing.
You went all the way there, and didn't eat? I'd like to have seen the menu, food, etc. Did they use vintage plates and silverware?
Here's the menu. Not 1960s prices. My aunt used to take me to Woolworths. I remember it was the first time I saw German Chocolate Cake! www.zmenu.com/woolworth-diner-bakersfield-online-menu/
@@martyrose what no patty melt?i had that whenever i met my mom for lunch at woolworth.
@@winddmmy Nope. It was always a grilled cheese and a vanilla frappe til I discovered German Chocolate Cake but when my aunt was taking me to Woolworth's I was 3!
@@martyrose still pretty cheap as a combo.
Oh my.. what memories.. 1968-73 Pembroke Mall Va Beach. Woolworths there had this awesome hotdog that as a kid I thought were the best and so different from any other with buttery toasted buns. The buns were toasted to order as well. I learned decades later via the internet that they used New England-style buns. Thank you for your work with this video.
I love this place!!! I live in bakersfield and have been coming here for years. I love the huge antique mall and the burgers at the lunch counter are in my opinion the best local burgers in town.
Way way back to the 50's...the smells of a turkey plate with mash, brown gravy, beans at the lunch counter permeated the store; the green malt blenders whirring; the swivel chairs. Those were the days. Thanks for the walk into a humbled past. Will definitely make a days trip up from LA. Maybe take the Greyhound!!
Truly a great way to represent my town. Used to come here every once in awhile with my grandmother. I think it's time I visit again.
Hi. Thanks SO much for the trip back in time. My Mom and I would walk up the avenue here in NE Philly, on Saturday to go shop and eat lunch at good ole Woolworths. It was always a special day. It was in the 60's and 70's. There was a great toy dept, pet dept was kool too. Always a loose parakeet flying around. DONT TOUCH THE TURTLES, the old lady employee would say.... At the food counter, you would get your grilled cheese,with pickle spear, or a grilled hot dog. For dessert, it was a big ball of ice cream with thick hot fudge, or the best of all, you would pick a colored balloon from the above counter close line...the counter lady stuck it with a big hat pin....whatever price was seen on a small folded piece of white paper, was your cost of the banana split....the most you could pay was 69 cents..!!! Y E S. It was magical. You thought you were in another world in Woolworths. The nostalgic memories pull at my heart strings....R I P Mom.....TY for all your care, and treating me sooo well......🙏❤❤❤❤❤❤
A retail gem indeed, it's like I struck gold while watching this, love the '50s style diner too :)
I bet most of the 50s Diner is original..
Omg..this store brought back memories and tears..I remember going there as a little boy..o how I wish these stores are still around here..it bring so much sadness that times have changed so much..the current stores are so sterile and cold..loyal employees are definately gone...best of health to the elderly who remembers this..
I’d go here during high school at lunch it’s pretty good
Haven’t gone since the whole pandemic but still nice to visit now and then
Awww I miss Woolworth, there was one a block away from my house growing up. We would go there all the time. My friends and I (teenagers in the late 70’s) would look at makeup and hair products, it was awesome. And the kitchen made THE BEST GRILLED CHEESE.
I got my first ear piercing at a Woolworth back in the 80's. Great Video!.
I got my ears pierced at my work place (A &H Drugs) by Lorna, she was the store's cosmetician, back in the late 70's here in Bothell Washington.
I remember this store growing up we go bowling Saturday morning then after go for lunch and sit on them stools at the counter I loved it thank you for sharing great memories ❤️😀
I love going there! The food is so good, also it was the first Woolworths to have AC on the west coast!
Which Woolworth's was that Bryan? I know that the Woolworth's store in Aurora Village in Seattle Washington (gone now), had ceiling fans, I'm not sure about the Northgate Shopping Mall Woolworth's.
Oh my gosh just found this video!! Took me back when I was around 6-7 years old shopping with my Mom and we always had our lunch at the Woolworth lunch counter!! Best grilled cheese patty melt and coke!! Brilliant video and such a nice lady to give you more looks and information!! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!!😁
I remember the Woolworth diners when I was a little kid. They had the best hot dogs in the world, as I recall...
My favorite place for lunch! (after browsing the antiques ) The vintage music from '40s and '50s provides atmosphere too.
Neat video. In my CA city we had Woolworths, Kresges and Newberrys. Fun stores.
Yes in Bakersfield downtown also we still have the sign for Kress across from Woolworths
Wonderful. My mother worked for Woolworth, in Southgate, Michigan,from 1958 through 1961. My mother worked the lunch counter. At the time it was a good company to work for.
Wow I now have memories from childhood that came back. I remember the lemonade and trying to go up and down those big steps. Mom would promise to get me something to eat and drink if I was patient will she shopped.
I'm 67. Lived on both coasts of US and several places in between. Always looked for Woolsworth as my go to five and dime. Last time i was in a Woolworth was in 1983. It was and always will be the best store I ever shopped in for many reasons. And the lunch counter will always hold a special place in the hearts of anyone lucky enough to eat at one. This one in Bakersfield is amazing. Those Civil defense rations were dated 1964. Saw an old school desk too.. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
WOW 67 YEARS WAS 1955 THIS WAS WHEN MY BROTHER STEVE WAS BORN HIS BIRTHDAY WAS NOVEMBER 20TH HIS BIRTHDAY IS COMING SOON 😄😘🥳🥳🥺😫💋💋💔🙏🎅🕊🦢🐱🎂🎂
The last time I saw a place like this in person was at Kresge's in Watertown, WI back in the early 1970s before it shut down and the chain became KMart. I remember the creaky wooden floors, buying corduroys, and that lunch counter. And the hospital in town had an automat!
OMG!!!!...AMAZING!!!!...what a time capsule.Great video!!!
I can remember having a soda there with my Mom in the mid 1950's!! :)
Was there today. One of the best shakes I've had in a while. Thanks for the video.
Man I haven't been to this store in years and I live about 5 miles from it... I need to go there again
Come for a burger 🍔 🍔
YES, the more who go there, eat & do a bit of shopping, the longer it will remain open.
Kind regards, Ben
I've been there many times. Cool place. I always liked the Civil Defense containers upstairs. Thanks for posting.
I remember when I was little going to woolworth's wonderful store
I remember my neighborhood Luncheonette. First time I went there alone without an adult , I didn’t have enough money on me. The lady let me walk back to get more after I ate. My best friend and I would go there to buy the best stationary to write letters to each other. We’d buy invitations for birthday parties and stuff. They had a lot of vending machines when you first walk in and snow cones in the Summer. We’d buy our TV tubes from there up until early 80’s. You could buy goldfish or parakeets there. I remember I cut my pinky finger on a glass shelf in my local Woolworth’s. My friend’s adult sister used to work there, she helped me bandage it up. I still have the scar almost 45 years later. Thanks for the memories! Great video!
My husband and I love browsing and shopping here! I highly recommend eating at the diner if you have an opportunity. Great food, great people!! 😊💖
Really great inside flea market/ antique shop and to have the lunch counter still operating!wow.the building itself is unique.
Cool. Added to my list of stops for whenever we get around to my dream trip of driving the Route.
I only regret that you did not put a quarter in that chicken gumball-machine thing, lol.
Also, as a former manager of a department store, just thinking about doing inventory at this place gives me PTSD by proxy!
Cool cool spot, thanks for sharing!
Each one of theses "booths" are operated by a regular person who pays a monthly fee
I thought the same thing.
Thank you for this video it brings memories , just been a lot of years since I've been there .
David
I ate there as a kid, it smells good near the diner, vintage buildings stand the test of time, the feeling in there is grand every time I go there It's nostalgic 💓
My mom worked at Woolworths in the 1960s. I would go there to eat lunch as a small child..all of these wonderful things are just memories now.
This was one of my grandma's favorite places
YES YES!!! many memories I remember the layout of the department’s back in the 60ths since I was born here in Bakersfield, came to buy my paper dolls then came to buy my make-up then came to buy for my home 😢😫😢
Paper Dolls, oh how I remember playing with my paper dolls, changing their outfits was so much fun! I really feel sorry for girls these days, they'll never know how much fun you can have with paper dolls!
That place is a Gem, I’d love to visit one day! Awesome video!
When woolworth closed in 1997 they sold off their mexico stores. Those stores are still open to this day. I don't know if they still have the cafe's.
Yes there are 3 of the Cafes still left in Mexico. There are several Woolworth stores in Mexico but nothing like we had here in the USA. I have personally been to 2 Woolworth locations in Mexico. The stores are way different these days and have a big focus on apparel. I would say close to 75% of the stores is apparel and the remaining part of the store has a variety of departments including electronics, housewares, toys, sporting goods, health and beauty, candy, and seasonal items. Some locations have the original old school exteriors, but the interior of the stores is modern.
Mexico stii have woolworth stores ... Woolworth store tijuana is the closer
I just saw a Woolworths in Mexico on harold balder channel
I remember having lunch at the local Woolworths here in Tampico, Mexico in the late 90's, the luncheonette remained in the store probably until the early 2000's, and even when it disappeared, the store continued for a few years, but it closed around four or five years ago.
I remember having lunch at the local Woolworths here in Tampico, Mexico in the late 90's, the luncheonette remained in the store probably until the early 2000's, and even when it disappeared, the store continued for a few years, but it closed around four or five years ago.
That seriously made me get choked up and cry because I used to go to a Woolworth's in Minneapolis,MN I miss it so much, what a wonderful place and the diner was fantastic, thankyou for making this video,
The Stairs! They were marble with steel strips on the edge. I would sit and straighten my legs, lift my heels and slide down the stairs to the bottom. I Loved Woolworths!!!
I loved Woolworth’s. We had two in my town just blocks apart. One very large with two staircases leading to basement, a front food counter and a lunch counter to the left as you enter the store in three back. Good food. They had pizza at the front food counter you could buy by the piece. It was delicious. I was so sad to see it go. Everything just about that I remember fondly from my childhood is now gone. Gone in favor of malls which are now becoming obsolete. Gone are the gorgeous old hotels. My hometown was pretty much destroyed during the TVs during what they called “urban renewal” and which I refer to as “urban destruction”. So very sad. Thanks for this video. Brings back so many fond memories and at the same time makes me feel a bit sad. I watched this same video 4 years ago and am enjoying it again. My comment then is similar to this one.
When Woolworth closed down, Kmart basically took its place. Now Kmart is on the verge of disappearing as well. 😞
There are less than 40 remaining Kmart stores.
Didn't know there were any K-Marts left.
No Kmart in Bakersfield. All gone.
They already disappeared from my area at least 20 years ago or more...
@@GinaBush-gb6tk Me neither.
Excellent Video, brings back Memories !!!
Behind the locked candy door, there’s about 50 vintage creepy manikins from the 50’s-60s.
Oh wow, yes, that would be creepy! 😨 😲
How do you know?
@@lauragodines8939 I used to work there
@@CanvasCam wow...one of this days i will go and visit the place...and go and relax at the dinning area..
I'd like to go there at night with a video camera and wait for something that goes bump in the night.
I am from Bakersfield a friend of mind had a 50s wedding and they had their reception there. I love this place
Their burgers and fries are great. One of my favorite lunch spots.
Does it still exists? Thank you
OMG this brings back memories! You walk into the store are the smells of the lunch counter: coffee, pastries, etc. Then the merchandise, almost everything you could think of and so affordable. I cried when they closed it in our town.😢.