New and Venerable Institutions: 99¢ Stores
99¢ Stores are the new Woolworth's. A shopping tour of the discount retailers, import stores, and trading posts on Mission Street from 16th to 24th is sure to satisfy anyone who remembers the great 5 and 10¢ stores of the 20th Century. In addition to traditional wares - health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, housewares, food, and clothing - the Mission District's 99¢ stores are a repository of religious iconography and inexpensive toys. On a recent swing through the area, Mister SF turned up dolls that look like Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom and Linda Blair. As these finds prove, like Woolworth's, a 99¢ store is more than just a general store. It's a bargain hunter's treasure chest.

(Cliff's Variety, 479 Castro Street, and the Standard 5 and 10, 3545 California Street in the Laurel Village Shopping Center, are two excellent, traditional "five and dime" stores. HD)

Detail I
Detail II
Detail III
Detail IV
Detail V
Detail VI
Detail VII
Detail VIII


Copyright 2003 Hank Donat
mistersf.com home