Main Street looking east.

Main Street looking east.

Business.; Business enterprises -- Massachusetts -- Watertown.; Commerce.; Commercial buildings -- Watertown (Mass.).; Streets -- Watertown -- Massachusetts.; Neighborhood -- Massachusetts -- Watertown.; Watertown (Mass.) -- Social life and customs.; City and town life -- Massachusetts -- Watertown.; Traffic -- Watertown (Mass.).;

Main Street looking east, taken from the corner of Church Street. Gorin, Toyland and Woolworth stores. The F.W. Woolworth Co. had the first five-and-dime stores, which sold discounted general merchandise at fixed prices, usually five or ten cents, undercutting the prices of other local merchants. Woolworth, as the stores popularly became known, was one of the first American retailers to put merchandise out for the shopping public to handle and select without the assistance of a sales clerk. Earlier retailers had kept all merchandise behind a counter and customers presented the clerk with a list of items they wished to buy. The stores eventually incorporated lunch counters a precursor to the modern shopping mall food court. Parallel Parking no longer exists on this part of Main Street. Included are the streetlight, fire alarm and postbox. Boston owned Gorin Department Store sold clothing (children to adult), uniforms and linens. It was more upscale than Woolworth?s and limited in merchandise.

1930's ca.

Watertown Free Public Library

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