The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's or Woolworth, or even Woolsworth) was a retail

Retailing

Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

 company that was one of the original American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 five-and-dime stores

Five and Dime

Five and Dime is a cartoon short by Walter Lantz which features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It is the 74th Oswald short produced by Lantz and the 125th overall. It also is among the number of shorts that feature Oswald in his fully clothed appearance....

. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth

Frank Woolworth

Frank Winfield Woolworth was the founder of F.W. Woolworth Company , an operator of discount stores that priced merchandise at five and ten cents...

 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...

, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store". Soon, Frank brought his brother, Charles Sumner Woolworth, whom everyone called Sum, into the business.