The Store of Small Treasures

Go through the story slowly—stories about pocket change usually come with a smile.

For a child with a few coins in a pocket, one kind of store was a small paradise. Aisle after aisle of candy, toys, ribbons, and notebooks, and so many things that cost just five or ten cents. Such stores had been around since 1879, and they were still in business in the 1970s. What did everyone call them?

• The department store
• The five-and-dime
• The hardware store