Five and Dime

In the early years of the Village of Ferndale, most businesses were on Woodward Avenue because Nine Mile Road was classified as residential, with most houses on the north side and houses on the south side facing Troy Street with back yards and garages on Nine Mile Road. As traffic increased on Woodward and a planned 1923 widening approached, Woodward was judged unsuitable for pedestrian shopping, so the Village designated West Nine Mile Road as a shopping area and widened it to 66 feet. In 1924, the same year the county paved West Nine Mile Road, the first commercial buildings were erected there, including the Ostrander Building, the Masonic Temple near Planavon, and the Katz Building. In the late 1930s, three popular variety stores came to Downtown Ferndale. Neisner Brothers arrived first in 1937 on the south side at 231 West Nine Mile Road; the company had begun in Rochester, New York, expanded regionally in the late 1920s, had 108 stores by 1937, and also operated a store in nearby Royal Oak. In 1938, F.W. Woolworth opened in a decorative Spanish Revival style building at 234-280 West Nine Mile Road; Woolworth is credited by some with creating the five and dime store concept with a first store in Watertown, New York, in 1878. Both Neisner Brothers and Woolworth made efforts to employ Ferndale residents. In 1942, S.S. Kresge opened in a Moderne style building at 200 West Nine Mile Road, giving Ferndale residents and shoppers three variety stores to choose from in addition to the Federal Deparment and William Better Stores.

Ferndale, Michigan · United States