The Five and Ten

When I was growing up in Brooklyn,
Which was way back when,
We’d always get just what we needed
In the Five and Ten:

Cosmetics, stockings, pots and pans,
Greeting cards and games;
Curtains, tablecloths and vases,
Clothes and picture frames.

Sundries (who knew what they were?),
45’s and candy;
Mops and brooms and other things
A housewife would have handy.

It was fun to browse the aisles
With friends right after school,
And sometimes have a malted
Sitting on a fountain stool.

The Five and Tens have shut their doors;
New stores cannot compare.
I sometimes need an item
That I can’t find anywhere.

Of course, there is the internet
To help me in my search,
But in the Five and Dime, I’d never
Be left in the lurch.