ONCE UPON A TIME, long before shopping online became a thing, long before malls and long before the prevalence of big box stores, small town Main Street centered retail commerce.
Mom and pop shops prevailed, mostly meeting a community’s basics needs. But even back in the day, a few chain stores existed. I’m talking five-and-dime variety stores like Ben Franklin and Woolworths.
As a Baby Boomer, I hold fond youthful memories of these two stores. Of buying 45 rpm vinyl singles, nail polish, embroidery patterns, fabric… But even into adulthood I shopped at both, including at Woolworths along Central Avenue in downtown Faribault. Here I bought goldfish (for my kids) scooped from tanks in the back of the store. Here our family bought basics and other goods.
That variety store closed long ago, along with many other businesses that once claimed space in my community. Today Faribault’s downtown looks much different than when I moved here 44 years ago. That’s to be expected. Businesses close. New businesses open. A few endure for generations. As a place and times change, so do its businesses.
But occasionally I discover a place that takes me back to yesteryear in a flashback of memories. That happened recently in the small town of Kasson, just west of Rochester along U.S. Highway 14. While walking through the downtown, I found KLG Store. The name itself told me nothing about the business. But a printed sign in the front window advertising “Kasson Hometown Sausage Sold Here!” drew me inside. Not that I like sausage. I don’t. But I appreciate quirky no-frills signs.
Yet, once inside KLG, I was immediately drawn to cubbies of yarn, then tables and shelves packed with bolts of fabric. I forgot all about the sausage. Instead, I ran my hands across cloth, eyed the colorful prints, remembered my teen years when I stitched nearly all of my clothing.
I haven’t touched my sewing machine in years. For a moment I thought perhaps I should pull it out of storage and resume a creative activity I once loved. Spools of colorful Coats & Clark thread had me visually pairing thread with fabric. Psychedelic prints had me visually pinning and cutting patterns for a seventies fashion statement. Oh, the memories.
Then a stash of vintage collapsible fold-away baskets distracted me, temporarily pausing my fawning over fabric, yarn and embroidery patterns. The red, green and gold fabric and metal baskets with wooden handles are signature five-and-dime store staples.
Turns out KLG once housed a Ben Frankin store. I felt giddy upon learning that, but also a tad melancholy. The fold-away baskets reminded me of the passage of time, of how quickly the decades fly.
This building in some ways still houses a variety store with fabric, yarn and notions; products produced via laser engraving, digital and screen printing; and Kasson Hometown sausage, brats and other meats filling coolers. The hometown sausage, though, is no longer made in Kasson, but rather at Morgan’s Meat Market in Waseca.
Times change. Businesses change. But sometimes remnants of the past remain, like those fold away shopping baskets inside KLG. Durable baskets that took me back in time to Ben Franklin and Woolworths along yesterday’s Main Street.
TELL ME: If you have any special memories of dime stores, I’d like to hear them.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I have a great fondness for these stores and have wonderful memories from my childhood of going into Woolworth’s and Kresge’s and shopping for little things and eating at the lunch counter!
One of the bloggers from upper michigan who is also a writer, wrote about growing up and working in her dad’s Ben Franklin Store, weven as a young child. I once posted about a wonderful day visiting a friend of mine in her little town near Lansing, MI, and she took us to the dime store that they still had. We had a blast there! It had Brach’s candy by the pound, sticker books for kids, fancy napkins, toys, crafts, etc. It was so fun to be in one of those stores again.
Thanks for sharing your dime store memories. In some ways, I suppose dollar stores today are the modern-day dime store.
Newberry’s was the five and dime nearest us when I was a kid. Several goldfish and a painted turtle were purchased there (this was before we knew it was wrong to sell little turtles like that). The goldfish proved very hearty; the turtle did not. 😢 Newberry’s started in 1911 and lasted until 2002.
Ah, the painted turtles. I always wanted one, but never got one. No, said Mom. And, yes, we know better now, don’t we? Thank you for sharing your memories of Newberry’s, a name unfamiliar to me, but clearly a much-loved store by you.
I loved and truly miss the dime stores. A place you could get candy to cards to arts and crafts and everything in between. The one store I use to frequent in my late teens early twenties had the best cards, makeup and figurines (Precious Moments anyone). I miss Kmart too – I could always find an amazing deal to be had if I was looking or not and it was coming home with me – ha! This brings back the memories today – thanks for sharing. Happy Day – ENJOY!
And thank YOU for sharing your dime store memories. I liked Kmart also. Oh, the days…