Five and Dime

Five and Dime. Historical Site. , In the early years of the Village of Ferndale, most of the businesses were located on Woodward Avenue because Nine Mile Road was categorized as residential. The houses located on the street were primarily on the north side. On the south side the houses faced Troy Street with their back yards and garages on Nine Mile Road. Because of increasing traffic on Woodward and the planned 1923 widening, it was determined that Woodward would not be an ideal pedestrian shopping environment. So the Village designated West Nine Mile Road as a shopping area and widened the road to 66 feet. In 1924, the same year West Nine Mile Road was paved by the county, the first commercial buildings were constructed, including the Ostrander Building, the Masonic Temple near Planavon and the Katz Building. , , The late 1930s brought three popular "five and dime" stores to Downtown Ferndale. The first to arrive in 1937 was Neisner Brothers, on the south side at 231 West Nine Mile Road. Neisner Brothers originated in Rochester, New York, and expanded regionally in the late 1920s and had 108 stores by 1937. A store was also located in nearby Royal Oak. , , In 1938, F.W. Woolworth opened in the decorative Spanish Revival style building at 234-280 West Nine Mile Road. Some credit Woolworth with creating the five and dime store concept with their first store located in Watertown, New York in 1878. Both Neisner Brothers and Woolworth made efforts to employ Ferndale residents. In 1942 S.S. Kresge opened in the 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 wayfinding signage is being supported in part by a Preserve America grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior . This historical marker was erected in 2011 by Ferndale Downtown Development Authority. It is in Ferndale in Oakland County Michigan