Frank Woolworth had just one ambition and that was to work in a store. In 1868, for a poor New York State farm boy of sixteen to dream of clerking and to speak of some day owning a store seemed fantastic and impractical—particularly when for the next four years he could find no job. But the young man refused to give up his dream, even when his first attempts at being a salesman proved unsuccessful.

What he lacked in the art of convincing customers, however, Frank Woolworth made up for with his knack of displaying wares. His ideas were new and startling, in fact, they were all he had to build on—ideas and a full measure of courage. But once he had the dream of a new kind of store, where everything would sell for a dime or less, nothing could stop him. His business grew as he opened one store after another, until eventually a chain of them stretched across the country.

Frank Woolworth's rise from bleak poverty to fabulous wealth is an amazing story, it is also a warmly human and inspiring one. He was devoted to his family and all those who had helped him, and his unbelievable success was founded on an appreciation of everyday people and their needs. With the spectacular growth of American big business as a background, this is a fascinating account of the man whose name is emblazoned in gold over the doors of five-and-ten cent stores throughout the United States.

From the dust jacket