WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JUNE 14, 2018 27
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: THE WAY IT WAS
advertised its grand opening with a
two-page advertisement. To attract
shoppers, they held a television raffl e
and included in the ad a coupon for
customers to enter a contest for a
chance to win a free puppy.
The Woolworth’s ad also included
sales for assorted jewelry at 2 for $3;
machine washable chenille slippers
for 97 cents a pair; table lamps with
“elegant ceramic bases” at 2 for $10; fi ve
boxes of facial tissues for $1; a 3-pound
box of Heritage cookies for $1.77; and
assorted aluminum ware for $1.99 a
piece. (Amazing how far a dollar went
back in 1969!)
It’s not surprising that Woolworth’s
chose the Ridgewood Times to advertise
its grand opening. But what may
surprise some readers is that other
businesses took out ads in the July 17
issue to congratulate Woolworth’s for
opening shop in Ridgewood.
Selinger’s Showrooms, offering
“the fi nest in furniture at the lowest
possible prices” at 55-05 Myrtle Ave.,
took out a half-page ad to extend “a
sincere welcome to its new neighbor
Woolworth contributing to the
growth of Ridgewood-Glendale,
Maspeth & Middle Village.”
Ridgewood Hall, a German food
store located at 1880 Menahan
St., also took out an ad welcoming
Woolworth’s.
At that point in time, the city
was suffering the effects of
urban renewal, and the fl ight of
the middle class to the suburbs.
Neighborhoods were seeing
dropping property values and
long-time businesses closing
up shop.
Woolworth’s arrival in Ridgewood
was seen as the proverbial
shot-in-the-arm, a business
helping to keep alive the local
shopping strip — and the neighborhood
vibrant and prosperous.
New York City would undergo
tremendous economic turmoil
in the 1970s that would, unfortunately,
force many small
businesses in Ridgewood and
other communities to close or
move out. Woolworth’s managed to
survive that upheaval, but into the
late 1980s and 1990s, it could not survive
the increased competition from
nationwide chains.
Two rounds of closures, in 1993 and
1997, doomed the Woolworth’s chain;
many of the locations were converted
into Foot Locker athletic apparel stores.
Today, the Woolworth’s at 54-32 Myrtle
Ave. is now a Kids City clothing store
and a mattress supplier; the former
shop at 57-37 Myrtle Ave. is now The
Children’s Place clothing store.
We wonder if any of our readers
can remember shopping at the
Woolworth’s in Ridgewood or other
parts of Queens. If you do, feel
free to share them on Facebook or
email us, and we may feature your
remarks in an upcoming article.
Of course, as you can see, while
the Woolworth’s story figured
prominently on the cover of the July
24, 1969, Ridgewood Times, the top
story was the impending discontinuation
of the Myrtle Avenue El — an
extension of the Myrtle Avenue Line
that reached Downtown Brooklyn.
We’ll have more information about
that in next week’s column.
***
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request.