1. I was old enough to shop at Woolworth's five-and-dime before they closed their doors, so I was aware of variety stores that carried discounted merchandise.

2. In December she found temporary holiday work in a Newark five-and-dime store.

3. Woolworth Corp. executives brought the curtain down Thursday on the venerable but money-losing chain of 400 five-and-dime stores.

4. And while it's now 17 years since Sam has died, the rules he established when he opened his first five-and-dime, on Bentonville's town square, still apply.

5. The late Sam Walton was a business genius, building a five-and-dime into the $55-billion Wal-Mart empire.

6. These "green-front" stores often were right next to the traditional red-front five-and-dime Kresge stores.