Dearly departed shops :-(
Discussion
As already mentioned- Lewis's in Birmingham, I remember as a kid when they changed their carpets to nylon you could hold on to the counter sides (metal) and get a few of your mates to form a line then touch someone on the back of the neck and give them a massive static shock!
Also Midland Educational on Corporation street, a multi-floored emporium full of games and gadgets for kids etc.
Proper old Co-op department stores that were just like Grace Bros.
Also Midland Educational on Corporation street, a multi-floored emporium full of games and gadgets for kids etc.
Proper old Co-op department stores that were just like Grace Bros.
Great thread.
My contribution is Pryce Jones in Newtown. A small market town, Pryce Jones grew a business in the late 1800s which developed over time into a massive department store seemingly befitting of a much larger town. It also housed the world's first mail order business (claim to fame!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_order#First_mai...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pryce_Pryce-Jones
Sadly it went bust some years ago, and the building has sinced housed a few smaller businesses on each of it's floors.
My contribution is Pryce Jones in Newtown. A small market town, Pryce Jones grew a business in the late 1800s which developed over time into a massive department store seemingly befitting of a much larger town. It also housed the world's first mail order business (claim to fame!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_order#First_mai...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pryce_Pryce-Jones
Wiki said:
First mail order
The British entrepreneur Pryce Pryce-Jones set up the first modern mail order in 1861.[2][3] Starting off as an apprentice to a local draper in Newtown, Wales, he took over the business in 1856 and renamed it the Royal Welsh Warehouse, selling local Welsh flannel.
The establishment of a national postal service from the 1840s, and the extension of the railway network to Newtown, helped to eventually turn his small rural concern into a company with global renown. In 1861, Pryce-Jones hit upon a unique method of selling his wares. He distributed catalogues of his wares across the country, allowing people to choose the items they wished and order them via post; he would then dispatch the goods to the customer via the railways. It was an ideal way of meeting the needs of customers in isolated rural locations who were either too busy or unable to get into Newtown to shop directly. This was the world's first mail order business, an idea which would change the nature of retail in the coming century.
The further expansion of the railways in the years that followed allowed Pryce Jones to greatly expand his customer base and his business grew rapidly. He supplied his products to an impressive variety of famous clientele, including Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria, the Princess of Wales and royal households across Europe. He also began exporting drapery to the US and British colonies.
One of his most popular products was the Euklisia Rug,[6] the forerunner of the modern sleeping bag, which Pryce-Jones exported around the world, at one point landing a contract with the Russian Army for 60,000 rugs. By 1880, he had more than 100,000 customers and his success was rewarded in 1887 with a knighthood.
I use to enjoy going there when I was a kid as we used to spend hours getting lost in there across 4 or 5 floors and playing in the toy dept on the ground floor.The British entrepreneur Pryce Pryce-Jones set up the first modern mail order in 1861.[2][3] Starting off as an apprentice to a local draper in Newtown, Wales, he took over the business in 1856 and renamed it the Royal Welsh Warehouse, selling local Welsh flannel.
The establishment of a national postal service from the 1840s, and the extension of the railway network to Newtown, helped to eventually turn his small rural concern into a company with global renown. In 1861, Pryce-Jones hit upon a unique method of selling his wares. He distributed catalogues of his wares across the country, allowing people to choose the items they wished and order them via post; he would then dispatch the goods to the customer via the railways. It was an ideal way of meeting the needs of customers in isolated rural locations who were either too busy or unable to get into Newtown to shop directly. This was the world's first mail order business, an idea which would change the nature of retail in the coming century.
The further expansion of the railways in the years that followed allowed Pryce Jones to greatly expand his customer base and his business grew rapidly. He supplied his products to an impressive variety of famous clientele, including Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria, the Princess of Wales and royal households across Europe. He also began exporting drapery to the US and British colonies.
One of his most popular products was the Euklisia Rug,[6] the forerunner of the modern sleeping bag, which Pryce-Jones exported around the world, at one point landing a contract with the Russian Army for 60,000 rugs. By 1880, he had more than 100,000 customers and his success was rewarded in 1887 with a knighthood.
Sadly it went bust some years ago, and the building has sinced housed a few smaller businesses on each of it's floors.
SickAsAParrot said:
Seen most of them mentioned already,
Hillards in Batley, where we did most of our supermarket shopping until ASDA started up in Morley,
Thoughts and Crosses in Heckmondwike, had a huge stock of computers and games in the early boom days.
We used to go to Hillards in Cleckheaton or to the Kwiksave (now an asian supermarket) until they opened Morley asda. I remember us getting our first colour telly and my dad really struggling to get it in the back of our estate car but cant remember if it was from kwiksave or asda. Hillards in Batley, where we did most of our supermarket shopping until ASDA started up in Morley,
Thoughts and Crosses in Heckmondwike, had a huge stock of computers and games in the early boom days.
Hillards in batley is gone now,it became a tesco then they built a massive Tesco EXtra sort of in the same place.
I used to go in Thoughts and crosses nearly every day on my way up to the Grammar school, do you remember when they opened the other shop about 3 doors up and put all the computer stuff in there? I was fairly shocked to notice that it was still there (as of a couple of weeks ago anyway) We also used to buy cheap headphones etc from Dysons and then I spent hours looking at all the music and video games in Morrisons once it opened.
GOG440 said:
We used to go to Hillards in Cleckheaton or to the Kwiksave (now an asian supermarket) until they opened Morley asda. I remember us getting our first colour telly and my dad really struggling to get it in the back of our estate car but cant remember if it was from kwiksave or asda.
Hillards in batley is gone now,it became a tesco then they built a massive Tesco EXtra sort of in the same place.
I used to go in Thoughts and crosses nearly every day on my way up to the Grammar school, do you remember when they opened the other shop about 3 doors up and put all the computer stuff in there? I was fairly shocked to notice that it was still there (as of a couple of weeks ago anyway) We also used to buy cheap headphones etc from Dysons and then I spent hours looking at all the music and video games in Morrisons once it opened.
I guess it must have been 2 shops but my memory is hazy. Someone I knew from school (High Street up the road past the Grammar School) worked in there. There was also a little record shop opposite a bit further on from Steads Ironmongers but I can't remember it's name, bought a good few 'ex-jukebox' singles from there.Hillards in batley is gone now,it became a tesco then they built a massive Tesco EXtra sort of in the same place.
I used to go in Thoughts and crosses nearly every day on my way up to the Grammar school, do you remember when they opened the other shop about 3 doors up and put all the computer stuff in there? I was fairly shocked to notice that it was still there (as of a couple of weeks ago anyway) We also used to buy cheap headphones etc from Dysons and then I spent hours looking at all the music and video games in Morrisons once it opened.
Also the CO-OP at the other end of town you used to be able to go upstairs and they sold Meccano individual part sets in small bags. Bliss.
- snail edit: Could have been Track One Records
Edited by SickAsAParrot on Thursday 12th November 20:25
gtidriver said:
There's a few mentions here about David Prowes dressed as Darth Vader opening shops, if never was him. He didn't do any work in the suit after shooting had finished, all the actors from star wars costumes along with a few other films costumes are in a safe at George Lucas's Ranch.
Why spoil someone's childhood memory 
Darth Vader opened Gamleys in Crawley and I went along, was under no illusions it was David Prowse simply as I was about 6 so had no idea who David Prowse was.V8mate said:
No idea what prompted it to pop into my head, but does anyone else remember the Scientific & Technical shops in the 70s?
I have a really limited memory of them; certainly that they had telescopes in the window.
Do you mean Tandy?I have a really limited memory of them; certainly that they had telescopes in the window.
https://www.tandyonline.com/about-tandy
Allanv said:
V8mate said:
No idea what prompted it to pop into my head, but does anyone else remember the Scientific & Technical shops in the 70s?
I have a really limited memory of them; certainly that they had telescopes in the window.
Do you mean Tandy?I have a really limited memory of them; certainly that they had telescopes in the window.
https://www.tandyonline.com/about-tandy
SickAsAParrot said:
GOG440 said:
We used to go to Hillards in Cleckheaton or to the Kwiksave (now an asian supermarket) until they opened Morley asda. I remember us getting our first colour telly and my dad really struggling to get it in the back of our estate car but cant remember if it was from kwiksave or asda.
Hillards in batley is gone now,it became a tesco then they built a massive Tesco EXtra sort of in the same place.
I used to go in Thoughts and crosses nearly every day on my way up to the Grammar school, do you remember when they opened the other shop about 3 doors up and put all the computer stuff in there? I was fairly shocked to notice that it was still there (as of a couple of weeks ago anyway) We also used to buy cheap headphones etc from Dysons and then I spent hours looking at all the music and video games in Morrisons once it opened.
I guess it must have been 2 shops but my memory is hazy. Someone I knew from school (High Street up the road past the Grammar School) worked in there. There was also a little record shop opposite a bit further on from Steads Ironmongers but I can't remember it's name, bought a good few 'ex-jukebox' singles from there.Hillards in batley is gone now,it became a tesco then they built a massive Tesco EXtra sort of in the same place.
I used to go in Thoughts and crosses nearly every day on my way up to the Grammar school, do you remember when they opened the other shop about 3 doors up and put all the computer stuff in there? I was fairly shocked to notice that it was still there (as of a couple of weeks ago anyway) We also used to buy cheap headphones etc from Dysons and then I spent hours looking at all the music and video games in Morrisons once it opened.
Also the CO-OP at the other end of town you used to be able to go upstairs and they sold Meccano individual part sets in small bags. Bliss.
- snail edit: Could have been Track One Records
Edited by SickAsAParrot on Thursday 12th November 20:25
Used to go in there for an orangeade float before catching a bus home.
Maybe it's nostalgia, but I'm sure it was the best ice cream I've ever tasted.
We used to live next door to John Cadamarteri who founded the business in 1902, but we always just knew him as Mr Caddy.
We were only very young. and he was an old man, but I remember he'd often come out of his house with a plate of chips he'd just made for us if we were out playing on the drive/in the garden.
CADDYS - DEWSBURY by Mosaic Images, on FlickrEdited by C&C on Friday 19th January 15:31
Anonymous Bodge said:
Any old fashioned car breakers yard.
I know this is going back a bit in time on this thread, but definitely this one for me!I fondly remember helping a mate replace the bonnet, wing and light cluster on his mum's Pug 205 diesel during the course of a bunked-off Sixth form afternoon after he'd stacked it messing around on a narrow lane at lunchtime....
The good news was that the breakers next to the High Heavens tip in High Wycombe had the same model and colour (some sort of gopping beige iirc) which had been written off in a rear end shunt.
The better news was that they charged something like 30% less for parts you took off the car yourself.
The best news (although I'm sure if our parents knew, they'd have disagreed) was that the car was the top one on a stack of four! It's a good thing that like all seventeen year olds, we were immortal!
Can you imagine a breakers yard these days letting a couple of teenagers scramble around on the car stacks taking bits off?
Kermit power said:
Anonymous Bodge said:
Any old fashioned car breakers yard.
I know this is going back a bit in time on this thread, but definitely this one for me!I fondly remember helping a mate replace the bonnet, wing and light cluster on his mum's Pug 205 diesel during the course of a bunked-off Sixth form afternoon after he'd stacked it messing around on a narrow lane at lunchtime....
The good news was that the breakers next to the High Heavens tip in High Wycombe had the same model and colour (some sort of gopping beige iirc) which had been written off in a rear end shunt.
The better news was that they charged something like 30% less for parts you took off the car yourself.
The best news (although I'm sure if our parents knew, they'd have disagreed) was that the car was the top one on a stack of four! It's a good thing that like all seventeen year olds, we were immortal!
Can you imagine a breakers yard these days letting a couple of teenagers scramble around on the car stacks taking bits off?
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