Woolworth Stoneware Coffee Mug Set

THERE ARE 4 MUGS IN THE SET.

The Woolworth Company, also known as F.W. Woolworth Company, former American chain of general-merchandise retail stores based on the concept of the five-and-ten (i.e., a store that sells all items in stock for 10 cents or less). Woolworth evolved into a multinational corporation with a large collection of specialty retail stores on four continents. It's headquarters were in New York City. The company was founded by Frank Winfield Woolworth (1852–1919), the originator of the five-and-ten variety store.

Woolworth founded his first five-cent stores in Utica, New York and Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1879. The latter store was successful, especially after the price ceiling was raised to 10 cents, and in the next decade Woolworth opened some 21 more stores in towns in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Connecticut, the majority of which were financed and managed in partnerships. By the end of 1904 there were 120 stores in 21 states extending westward as far as Colorado. Woolworth founded his success on volume buying, counter-display merchandising, and cash-and-carry transactions.

In 1905 Woolworth incorporated, as F.W. Woolworth & Company, and in 1909 he founded F.W. Woolworth & Company Limited, to serve Great Britain and Ireland. Then in 1911 he invited four rival American retail chains to merge their businesses with his and form a single national corporation. The four rival retailers were Seymour Horace Knox (Woolworth’s first cousin), with 108 five-and-tens; Fred Morgan Kirby, with 84; Charles Sumner Woolworth (Frank’s brother), with 14; and Earle Perry Charlton, with 48. Woolworth’s own giant company at the time of the merger had 319 stores. Agreements were signed on November 12th, 1911 and the new consolidated company, with 596 stores coast to coast, assumed the F.W. Woolworth Company name. The new company’s headquarters, the Woolworth Building (1913) in New York City, was the tallest skyscraper in the world until 1930.

By 1929, Woolworth had about 2,250 outlets, and it's stores continued to proliferate in the United States and Britain. The company raised it's price ceiling to 20 cents in 1932 and abolished price limits altogether in 1935. The company purchased the shoe manufacturer and retailer G.R. Kinney Corporation (founded 1894) in 1963 and the Australian shoe store chain Williams the Shoemen in 1969. In 1982 it sold a controlling interest in it's British subsidiary.

Over the years Woolworth acquired other store chains. The company’s Foot Locker chain of athletic-shoe retailers proved especially successful. By 1982 the company had more than 8,000 stores worldwide, but it was facing increased competition from the Kmart Corporation and other discount retailers. These pressures compelled Woolworth to rely more and more on it's Foot Locker, Kinney Shoes, and other specialty stores. Woolworth closed it's remaining variety stores in the United States in 1997, thus abandoning it's traditional general-merchandise retail business there.

After renaming itself Venator Group, Incorporated in 1998, the company operated retail stores in North America, Europe, and Australia into the early 21st century. The company increasingly focused on sporting goods, and in 2001 it changed it's name to Foot Locker, Incorporated—the name of it's leading retail brand—and relaunched the Woolworth brand as an online company, although some Woolworth retail stores remained in operation.

***Please look at the attached photos for size and condition. Photos are part of the description representing the condition report and can be used for authentication prior to the sale date. We urge bidder's to view all attached photos in detail. All items are sold "AS IS".

Notes: Please inspect all photos carefully before bidding. Thank you for your interest and good luck bidding.

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Vincenza Marsullo | (860) 997-3332 | fil14fy@gmail.com

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Torrington, CT 06790

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Sunday, 7/25, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

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