Woolworth's Lunch Counter in Bakersfield California 2018

[@daybird2]

The Woolworth's that I remember well was in Keene, NH. In the 60's, they had an annual banana split special (I don't remember the exact month) in which balloons would be tied to a wire over the stools at the lunch counter. When you ordered a banana split, they would hand you a long stick with a pin on the end of it. You would then pop the balloon of your choice. A small strip of paper would flutter down with the price you had to pay. The regular price was 35 cents, so many of them read 34 cents. But there were also many nickel, dime, and yes, even 1 cent! I managed to snag a 1 cent banana split twice in one year in 1965!

[@harleydude-xo8pu]

My first job was working for Woolco, which was Woolworths competition for Kmart. The Woolco I worked at closed its doors in Jan 1983 and I believe all Woolcos closed at that time as well. I more then likely would still be working for Woolco to this day if they stayed open, I absolutely loved the company.

[@mitchellreid4205]

I worked at woolco in Tucson Eastside. In 1972 1973. This was my decca job from high school

[@territn8871]

I think Woolworths should open just luncheonettes all across America again! They couldn't compete with all the Walmart's nowadays as a "five and dime", but to bring back the nostalgic luncheonettes would be a big business. I'm 67 and growing up I remember eating lunch many times at our local Woolworths. You had to most often wait for a stool at the counter to become available because it was always busy. Now I want a cheese burger!!😏🍔

[@Fultonfalcons86]

Woolsworth has damn good food I remember them as a kid in the 70's was so sad to see them go just like the K-Mart burgers and sandwiches .........

[@nightfangs2910]

A kid of the 70s here in massachusetts, went to the store and adjacent diner often, miss places like this

[@chinny261]

I'll always remember walking through the doors of our Woolworth's in Downtown Boston and the first thing that hits you is the mouth watering aroma of their fried chicken! It was so good, and if I can taste it again, I'll die with a smile on my face.

[@stewartsolomon7926]

I use to go in the 70s. I would sit at counter fries and a ice cream 🍨 sundae. They had some balloons above the counter you could pick a balloon and possibly win a free sundae 😎. Simple life good times. I miss the good old days

[@kimperez7664]

They have the best burgers! And I love browsing their aisles and finding little treasures.

[@marcellamcduffie8218]

After mama got finished looking and shopping around we would Love to go and sit at the counter table and eat and swinging back and forth in the chairs being kids that was sooo awesome.

[@cesarreyes7016]

I remember my mom used to take my brother and I shopping there as kids at the Woolworth's on Main Street in Delano, Ca.👍

[@powerstrokesmokeelliott3381]

I used to go to Woolworths in the Neshamity Mall in Philadelphia, PA

[@Debbie10222]

I'm from this area as well, Hatboro, PA. Used to go to the Woolworths in Doylestown.

[@victoriacarpinteyro1745]

hahaha! I made the cut! Super cool video, hope to see you dine in with us again soon! 🤙🏽

[@chriscorsello]

Glad you liked the video, and thanks for being part of it. I would come and dine there again if I didn't live 4 hours away! Next time I make it to Bakersfield I will come back for another cheeseburger and shake!

[@btownbobby]

My wife andI eat here regularly. We are very happy to have this treasure in Bakersfield.

[@brandon7913]

Great video and history. I need to visit this place

[@samiam9059]

Remember when my father took me to the Woolworths in Los Angeles on a summer day for something to do. He said let's go to Los Angeles and walk around. Was Fun

[@tomsimpson5317]

I miss the old days

[@shariapplegate8015]

Love the checker tiles and the bar stools at the counter. We would go for the chocolate shakes. They had the old would floors and counters and the clerk would be between the counters, now this was in the 50-60. This was Long Beach,Ca

[@cookiemonster3706]

Brings back soooo many memories. There was one in downtown St. Louis that I went to as a child. My favorite food item was their sloppy joes and milkshakes. I sure miss Woolworths.

[@Killgoretrout855]

I remember eating at the counter

[@JAbell1966]

I grew up just outside of Louisville, KY and I remember many a trip to the Woolworths that were there in the 70s though none were anywhere near the size of that one. I don't remember eating at the counter as a kid but I discovered it while in college in the mid-80s. I had the occasional cheeseburger there but my usual order was the grilled cheese. There is nothing quite like a gooey, greasy, lunch counter grilled cheese sandwich with crinkle cut fries and a pickle spear...

[@randyfrench9401]

This is so cool, I remember eating at a Woolworth Diner located in the Anderson Indiana Mounds Mall owned by the Simon Brothers. They had everything on the Menu cheap.. And it was a really great great place to eat. And very professional.. If you ordered a Chocolate Milkshake? They would put spray whip cream on it and put a cherry on top. And the waitress would never leave the table until she knew you liked it. I can't express how much I miss these diners. Nowdays? Everyone orders trash food at drive throughs and they might as well just throw it at you at the drive through.. This was a very professional experience. Theres 2 laws in the Universe.. You can never beat a Woolworth Diner.. and You will never beat a MCL. Trust me. 10 Stars here people. ********** -Me

[@ACE-h3y]

Thank you guys so much for this video. It seriously brought tears to my eyes. I remember going to the Woolworths in my Historic town of Santa Ana California on 4th and Main back in 1976 with my parents. When got my paper route in 1980 I used to go there all the time to get the (Mustang Combo special ) with a cheeseburger and fries with a Coke for $1.35. Thank you for the memories. I hope, No I know I will have a dream abought that place tonight. Happy Halloween folks

[@showdownvilla6078]

Very very very cool used to go there all the time with my mom my brothers in Laredo Texas...

[@bethmullins6357]

Mom took us as kids and we always loved getting fries and a chocolate shake

[@kimfrank2417]

In monaca pa we had a restaurant in Woolworth it was good can’t think of name

[@mynorescobar3015]

I wish they bring it back to NYC miss the Fry chicken Mashed taters and corn

[@madelinevegas8123]

Those were the best retail stores

[@LJTHEGEEK]

i miss the woolworth's they used to have a hot dog that was fried on the grill and in a nice soft bun .it was SO GOOD I always went with my grandma them were the days

[@chi041291]

Mom used to take me, loved the hot dog around 1960

[@flashrug_]

Better than in and out

[@mdstoner23]

Great video! Very appropriate for Black History Month!

[@chriscorsello]

Thanks!

[@Ajorge1332]

I live in Bakersfield and every time we’d get lunch at school me and my girlfriend would walk downtown to get burgers here

[@trailerparkbarbie9027]

dude thnx 4 watching my vid...showing you sum love!!!totally dig that place!!!!!!!very cool....totally dig your hair too hun\m/.....thnx 4 the vid great info on this!!!!

[@gregbenwell6173]

I used to eat cheeseburgers at Woolworth's all the time, my aunt worked their and my father took us to the lunch counter all the time to see his sister while our mom shopped!!! And I recall at 8 years old I had an old Brownie box camera (that took black and white film rolls) and Woolworth was the only place that still sold the film for that camera by the mid 1970s and I used the camera until I got a new Kodak Handle in 1979 for Christmas! And you have to remember Woolworth also did photo developing so I had them develop a lot of film over the years as well too!! And I used the money I made mowing lawns to buy film and vinyl records at both Woolworth's and Jamesway!!! I would also buy a lot of model supplies from Woolworth and Jamesway as well!!! I used to build model cars, trucks, planes and boats AND flying model rocket kits!!!

[@nadogrl]

Greg - Like your comments, however, why do people so often use the phrase “you have to remember”? Breaking it down, I don’t “have to” remember at all, and lots of times, I don’t/can’t remember, because I never knew about it in the first place. 🙂

[@michaelmcnally3487]

Woolworth's is in mexico. There is a Woolworth's in a mall in Tijuana, Mexico. There was Woolworth's in Hawaii in 1980s.

[@007yessica]

Hi there CHRISTOPHER... I enjoyed your piece on Woolworth's Lunch counter. I love antiques and it was an all over fun video to tie in history and vintage life. If you want my critique of the editing. I feel making your graphic's more exciting and having more facts come up in text as your talking to the camera would add more. Plus some of the handheld camera moves that shake, I would cut out and shorten the video a bit it goes on a little long. Okay hope you take all that with positivity. You always know how to capture my interest. xoxo

[@chriscorsello]

Thanks Jessica! I appreciate the feedback. I also appreciate you taking the time to watch my video as I know how busy you are. I always make my videos too long. When I go back and watch my videos later, I am always like, I should have cut this, I should have shortened that. it is definitely one my shortcomings. I wish I could make my graphics more exciting, but I am limited to iMovie as I don't have the cash to afford Final Cut Pro right now, and so many of the effects in iMovie are so limited and so overused that I almost hate to use them. Anyway, I am not trying to make excuses, just explaining why you might see me making some of the same mistakes again in future videos. I am really trying to do better at making the videos shorter! I do really appreciate the constructive criticism, and if you ever find yourself with free time, I would love to collaborate, especially since editing is not my strong point. I like doing the research and finding the stories. Also, I am still looking forward to seeing your documentary!

[@nadogrl]

I agree. Less of you eating, or better manners, perhaps? Otherwise, thank you for the video.

[@jenniferw4068]

Is the lunch counter still here in 2021?

[@007yessica]

Oh cool. Yeah I here ya. I have Adobe Creative Cloud at the student rate for $20 a month that gives me all the apps at a discount. That really helps. I learned Premiere and after effects plus Photoshop has really opened my eyes to integrating so much more into my projects. I am on Spring Break finally have a moment to breathe and I am catching up on projects (Documentary) that have been shelved because of a lack of time. Thanks for reminding me I need to get back to it. CCSF keeps me busy, as well as everything else in my world. OK take care talk soon.

[@no-fb9gl]

thx 4 sharing, kool!!!

[@abelnunez-guerrero3832]

Awesome video Brother! 💯👍🏽

[@cynthiaamitrano8915]

Foot Locker. Interesting. The black gentleman was good enough to work there, but they weren't good enough to be served. I lived through these times though I was a young child. I remember the way things were. That is the biggest Woolworths I have ever seen. We had two in our town just blocks apart. There was also a Kresge's in the same block as Woolworths and on the same side of the street. My sister worked there as a teenager. Ah, the good old days. I am officially my mother.

[@inezvalentin2823]

I remember that love the fried chicken and soda

[@abelnunez-guerrero3832]

Check out the Penny Bar in McKittrick, CA! It’s close to the highway 33 and highway 58 crossing. 🥩 🍺💯👌🏽

[@mynorescobar3015]

also SteakUms with fries

[@sarahdandliker5899]

Footlocker is the store that’s owned by Woolworths

[@aaroneaton1027]

Nice video

[@chaparram.6448]

Woolworths is now called footlocker

[@leonardpfeifer6361]

Foot Locker? I was guessing Pic N Save or Newberrys.

[@SGEthelabel]

Idk how I feel about this

[@sickkat5910]

One thing I do remember from my youth was that the frankfurters were always scored...they don't do that here...just sayin"

[@anthonymastrando9299]

I’m trying to find my lost friend who lived in Bakersfield, CA. Karl Kaiffies, is his name. Anyone who knows him please comment to this post. Thanks

[@kimfrank2417]

Is this still open? Like to vist

[@daynesauter]

It is! It’s in Downtown Bakersfield On 19th street

[@santaclaushawkeyenj3878]

You guys didn't get the *1¢ Banana Split* ? Shame on you!

[@vamdirocco9354]

APPLE DUMPLINGS

[@kevinbaker1642]

"....and stay out of the Woolworth!" --- Oh Brother Where Art Thou

[@josephcatalan3161]

2:17 so pretty

[@trailerparkbarbie9027]

u have indian in you???

[@chriscorsello]

No, my dad's side is Sicilian (Italy) and my mom's side is a mixture of Irish and Russian. Quite the mix, I know.

[@joannasarcamedes8191]

refused service because of the color of thier skin...how unfair and unbiblical in a supposed christian nation.....however i noticed that the cook in the background was colored and lowering his head....

[@princessunicorn669]

Nice job virtue signaling and judging people from long ago, by today’s standards...who are you going to blame next?

[@geneturner8783]

Footlocker the answer

[@jenniferw4068]

Weird that Woolworth had black cooks but did not want their $$ and business. Segregation is learned. Small children have to learn it.

[@THECOORSLIGHTKING]

That place always gave me the shits

[@andreamurphy1126]

Looked like a Lame Shake poor Whipped cream. Yuk Side Note...... Cut your hair. Ugh.

[@jarjarbinks2998]

U really should switch to Android. But unfortunately you live in California and so you're locked into Crapples control

[@nadogrl]

Jarjar - Not a very intelligent comment. There are plenty of Californians who use Android. So far our Dictator in Sacramento hasn’t had time to control that.

[@michaelmcnally3487]

es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworth_Mexicana