I googled woolworth and found this interesting tidbit. It would appear the generation of social climbers destroyed it:
“Of course, in those days the Stanford Shopping Center was more like a neighborhood mall than the regional
luxury center of chic that it would later become. The Stanfords early incarnation -— which included a
hardware store and a Purity supermarket -— welcomed Woolworths as one of its own.
“By the 1980s, however, the Stanford Shopping Center had experienced some serious upward mobility.
While still a profitable store and the ideal place to pick up some AA batteries, underpriced shampoo or a
pack of gum, Woolworths had increasing become an anathema to the Stanford Shopping Centers new
market strategy. In 1986, Rosemary McAndrews, the overseer of Stanfords march to boutiqueville, said
that Woolworths no longer fit the Stanford image. Indeed, Woolworths did seem a bit out of place
alongside Tiffanys, Bloomingdales and Pottery Barn for Kids.
“Actually, by the 1990s, Woolworths was struggling all over the country. Its market niche had been usurped
by the bigger all-purpose stores like Walmart and Target which offered more brands, more square footage
and a lot more parking. Additionally, as supermarkets and drug stores expanded to sell more than just food
and medicine, Woolworths value declined.”
http://www.paloaltohistory.com/woolworths.html
We had a wonderful Woolworth’s store in the town we lived
in when we were stationed in Germany. I felt like I was
“back home” when I walked in! LOL!