With a new week upon us and children going back to school I remember when I was little and my mom and dad would stop in Mott’s Five & Dime for School Supplies. Which is part of our new series Businesses We Remember — Post 2 because there was a time when shopping wasn’t something you did with a shopping app in your hand or a package waiting on your front porch two days later.
Sometimes, you simply went to Mott’s. And if you grew up around Fort Worth or Dallas, you probably knew exactly what I meant. For my family Mott’s Five & Dime was one of those stores that seemed to be everywhere. At least, that’s how it felt to me. There wasn’t just one Mott’s that I remember. There were several, and which one I visited depended on where we happened to be shopping that day.
The Mott’s I shopped at most was the one on Denton Highway, in the Haltom City Highway Shopping Center. But I also remember going to the one in River Oaks, especially when I was with my aunt, and the one off Lancaster. The Haltom City Shopping Center, is where my sister and I would walk with Suzanne.
That is one of the things I love about remembering old businesses. Sometimes the memories aren’t about one building. They’re about a whole part of your life. Mott’s was part of an older kind of shopping experience that we don’t see much anymore. The first Mott’s Five & Dime was opened by E. B. Mott in Dallas in 1942, and the business eventually grew into a large Texas chain with dozens of stores.
And Mott’s wasn’t just one kind of store. It was the sort of place where you could find a little bit of everything. People describe Mott’s Five & Dime as a combination of a toy store, hardware store and department store. You could find toys, household merchandise, picture frames, fabric and other everyday items.
It was the kind of store where you could walk in looking for one thing and discover five other things you didn’t know you needed. And that was part of the fun. You never quite knew what you were going to find which was part of the fun shopping here for my friends and family. I just wish I could have taken Charlie here.
Mott’s Five & Dime was part of the shopping landscape in several Fort Worth-area communities. I remember the Denton Highway location because that was the one I visited the most. But depending on where we were, we might go to another Mott’s. Including the River Oaks location, which became part of some of my favorite outings with my aunt. I also remember the one off Lancaster.
And then there was the one in the Haltom City Shopping Center. That was the one my sister and I would walk to. We could get out of the house, take Suzzane who was a baby with us, and have somewhere to go. We didn’t need a big entertainment center or an expensive activity. We could simply go shopping. And sometimes, that’s all you needed.
One of my fondest memories of Mott’s memories comes from when Suzanne was a baby. At that time, I was a single mother, and money was tight. I couldn’t walk into a store and buy everything I wanted or needed for Suzanne’s nursery all at once. But Mott’s had layaway. And that made a tremendous difference.
Layaway allowed me to choose the things I not only needed but things I wanted because I liked them, they would put the items aside, and I would make weekly or monthly payments until they were paid for. For me, that wasn’t just a convenient shopping service. It was a way to provide for my daughter when I didn’t have enough money to do everything at once.
I could build Suzanne’s nursery a little at a time. And I still remember finding a Donald Duck baby bottle at Mott’s. Nobody else seemed to have one. But Mott’s did. Along with nursey bedding in designs no, one else carried. hair care supplies including a hair brush for $1 I couldn’t get anywhere else and wish I had the chance to purchase one now as I need a new hair brush.
I can still picture walking through those aisles with my Grandma Dorie, my mom and even my Aunt Joyce. Those little memories don’t sound like much when you say them out loud. But they are part of my life. And when I think about Mott’s Five & Dime , I remember them and some of the conversations we had.
My sister and I would walk up to Mott’s more times than not simply because we needed to get out of the house. I had a baby to get out of the house and we needed a change of scenery and walking to the store gave us one. We could walk around, look at things, visit with people and eventually make our way home. It didn’t cost much. It didn’t have to. Sometimes the best outings were the simple ones.
Mott’s was also a place my mother and grandparents shopped. It was part of everyday life for our family. And that is something I think is easy to forget when we look back at old businesses. They weren’t necessarily destinations. They were simply part of our routines and even though Mott’s Five and Dime has closed my sister and I still get out and walk when we can.
One of my favorite Mott’s Five & Dime memories has absolutely nothing to do with something I bought. It has to do with my aunt’s bulldog. His name was Oliver. And Oliver apparently had very definite opinions about his treats. Every time my aunt left her house, she had to stop at Mott’s and get Oliver his peanut butter bars. If she didn’t, Oliver wouldn’t speak to her for a week. At least, that’s how I remember it!
I remember my aunt picking up my grandmother and me, and we would go to Braum’s in River Oaks for a hamburger. Then, before heading back home, we would stop at Mott’s Five & Dime to get Oliver his treats. We usually didn’t spend a lot of time looking around because my aunt was ready to get home.
But that stop at Mott’s became part of the outing. And once again, it wasn’t really about the store. It was about the people. My grandmother got to get out of the house. Dorie had her hamburger outing. And Oliver got his peanut butter bars. Everybody was happy for a little while we waited for our next outing.
Another thing I remember about Mott’s is that I could usually find something I could afford. Even if I didn’t need it. That’s an important distinction. Because if you grew up shopping in Mott’s Five & Dime, you know exactly what I mean. You could walk through those aisles and find something inexpensive that made you smile.
Maybe it was a toy. Maybe it was something for the house. Maybe it was a little gift. Maybe it was something for your children. Or maybe it was simply something you saw and thought, “Oh, I like that.” You didn’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money to have fun shopping. And Mott’s made that possible.
I also remember the employees. They were kind. They were caring. They made you feel welcome. The stores were clean and well-stocked, and the hours made shopping easy. You could even go on a Sunday and find the store open. But what stands out to me most is the feeling. Mott’s didn’t feel intimidating. It felt comfortable. It felt like you could walk through the front door and belong there.
You might see someone you knew. You might find an employee who recognized you. You might find exactly what you were looking for. Or you might just wander around for a while. And sometimes, you didn’t need anything at all and that was okay because you just needed somewhere to go and you could go own your own and not feel out of place.
What Happened to Mott’s? This is one part of the story where I wish I had a better answer. I know that the Mott’s Five & Dime eventually disappeared. One by one, they were gone. The stores I remember shopping in are no longer there, and today the Mott’s Five & Dime name is part of the memories of people who grew up around the Fort Worth and Dallas areas.
But I haven’t found a reliable historical source that gives us one definitive reason for why the entire chain closed. And maybe that’s something our readers can help us answer. If you remember Mott’s Five & Dime, perhaps you remember when your favorite location closed. Maybe you remember what replaced it.
Maybe you worked there. Maybe your parents worked there. Or maybe you know someone who can tell us more about the history of the company. I’d love to hear those stories. Or if your looking to open a new store in Haltom City or North Richland Hills I wish you would open Mott’s Five & Dime because I miss them and would like to take Charlie shopping.
Were There Mott’s Stores in Oklahoma? This is another question I’ve wondered about. We spent lots and lots of time in Oklahoma when I was growing up, and I honestly can’t remember whether Mott’s had stores there. My strongest Mott’s memories are from Texas. Haltom Shopping Center. on Denton Highway. River Oaks. Lancaster. And the other Fort Worth-area locations that we visited depending on where we were shopping.
So now I’m wondering: Was Mott’s primarily a Texas chain? If you remember a Mott’s Five & Dime in Oklahoma—or anywhere outside Texas—I would love to hear about it. That’s the wonderful thing about doing a series like Businesses We Remember. Sometimes our own memories give us part of the story. And our readers help fill in the rest.
I also think Mott’s Five & Dime would make a wonderful “Back to When” homeschool lesson. Children today are used to shopping at huge stores where individual departments are devoted to very specific things. Or they shop online, where they can search for exactly what they want. Mott’s Five & Dime was different.
It was almost like a little general store. You could find toys, household goods, clothing-related items, school supplies, hardware-type items, gifts and all kinds of everyday merchandise under one roof. That gives us a fun opportunity to ask: What would you have found in a Five & Dime that you wouldn’t find in a store today?
What did things cost? What could a child buy with an allowance? For me and my sister and brother it was Penny Candy and yes, candy was a penny back in the days when Dinosaurs roamed the earth as Charlie likes to say. What did families purchase for their homes? My mom and dad’s home was a HUD home. Do you remember them?
What would a nursery look like if you were furnishing it from a Five & Dime? What did layaway mean to families who couldn’t afford to pay for everything at once? And perhaps the most interesting question: How has shopping changed from then to now? Do you think Mott’s Five & Dime would have a app or still have a Law A Way?
A homeschool family could even create a pretend Mott’s Five & Dime. Give the children a certain amount of “money.” Have them create a store. Price the merchandise. Then compare their prices with what those same things might cost today. It becomes history, math, economics and storytelling all at once. And it starts with a little store many of us remember.
Now I have a question for you. I can honestly say I shopped at several Mott’s stores. The one on Denton Highway was probably the one I visited the most. But I remember the one in River Oaks. I remember the one off Lancaster. So here’s the question: How many Mott’s Five & Dime stores did YOU shop at back in the day?
Did you have a favorite location? What did you buy there? Did you ever use layaway? Do you remember the employees? Did you have a Mott’s Five & Dime near your home? And did you ever walk in “just to look” and walk out with something you absolutely didn’t need? Because I have a feeling I’m not the only one! Or am I?
Maybe you remember a Mott’s location that I don’t or maybe you remember something they sold that I’ve forgotten. Maybe you remember when your local store closed. Or maybe you have a story that belongs in this history. Tell us about your Mott’s Five & Dime experiances. Because Mott’s Five & Dime wasn’t just a store.
For many of us, it was part of growing up. It was where we shopped with our mothers. Where we took our grandmothers. Where we bought things for our children. Where we used layaway when money was tight. Where we found the little things we couldn’t find anywhere else. Where we might run into someone we knew. And sometimes, where we could simply wander around and hide out for a little while.
Those little stores may be gone. But the memories aren’t. And that’s why we’re remembering them. Businesses We Remember — because sometimes a store was more than a store. It was part of our story. Is there a store like Mott’s Five & Dime in your history you would like to share with us?
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed