Lost Shops of the Past

[AmericanPie]

I bet if I were in the UK, all the high street shops would be new to me. When I was last in Nottingham, I didn’t get a chance to go into the city centre. So, I’m not aware of what it’s like these days. I thought this trip down memory lane might interest some of the PON members like @Piethagoram and @super_ram.

What shops do you remember and wish were still around?

[TheSkipper]

Most of those shops I don’t know about, but I do recall Dixons being a close alternative to Argos. The variety these days is limited to one shop. Toys R Us was a nice shop to go and look around or pick up some toys. Smyths has a warehouse feel to it; toys and items are stacked on huge shelves that don’t come across as inviting or fun to look around.

[BromPie]

Many of the better shops have been replaced by poorer ones that are similar. Woolworths was an iconic store to shop in, Dixons could be a good place to spot a bargain. British Home Stores is another iconic store that has gone. Department stores are dying off; many good places have gone.

[Chris]

I remember some of the stores, I remember when where Tesco is in bulwell, each of the shops that were their before and how where Wilko's is, it used to be a CO-OP. Jolly Giant, Summerfields etc.

Toys R Us was much better than other toy stores, The Entertainer isn't bad.

I bet this is like memory lane for my dad, I'm surprised @Fan of Big Tone hasn't joined in.

[liampie]

its hard to see how things change over the years, new shops crop up but nothing is quite the same. from the video, i don't remember many of the shops mentioned its all before my time.

[Fan of Big Tone]

I haven’t seen all the video but I get the jist, indeed shopping in actual shops seems to be a dying thing nowadays, even I’m guilty of buying stuff online at Amazon etc., and getting groceries delivered by Tesco.

As a boy I used to go with my mam to Victoria Centre and get fresh veg, meat and fish from the market, if I’d been good mam would buy me an apple or banana.

I also remember our local beer off, for youngsters who don’t know what a beer off is, it’s a shop that would sell normal groceries but also licensed to sell beer and liquor for consumption off the premises, our corner shop even had a hand pump, my dad used to take a jug and the shopkeeper would fill it with beer for him to take home.

Other shops I remember are MFI which was a shop that sold flat pack furniture (similar to IKEA), the big coop store on Parliament street sold everything, they had lifts to different floors with a lift operator who would ask you which floor and push the button for you, Woolworths of course was a favourite, especially the sweet counter, Redmayne and Todd’s was on the corner of canal street and Carrington Street and sold Sports equipment, our street had a sweet shop run by a dear old lady called Mrs. Wright, she lived in the back room and would come into the shop when someone opened the door which rang a bell, we used to beg a penny off our parents and get a penny mix of sweets.

There was a shop that sold school uniforms of all the Nottingham Schools and jackets with the school badge on, I think it was called Price and Beale, it was the only place you could get school uniforms in those days.

When I grew up I had to get a suit and my dad took me to Burtons Tailors shop where was measured and got a suit for an interview, I paid with an account into which I paid 5 shilling a week (25p in todays money).

I’m sure there are lots more I can remember, I may come back to this topic.

[Nocturnal-Magpie]

It's a common occurrence for stores to eventually disappear, be consumed by others or be renamed. This has been a problem ever since supermarkets started seeing huge sales numbers. Smaller stores like the CO-OP, which used to be big, are now being taken over. For example, Sainsbury's purchase of Argos removed a giant high street store.

There's nothing wrong with buying online, but the issue is more down to stores not adapting, staffing correctly or making the most of sales. British Home Stores fell because the person who took it over just wanted to asset strip it.

[upthepies]

Woolworths has made a comeback in WH Smiths, but other stores such as Partners and Staples seem to have disappeared. Brantano has closed its physical stores to operate solely online. Most Disney stores have also gone, along with Wimpies and Broadmarsh itself. Many things have vanished and will eventually be forgotten. Some of this is due to the rise of online shopping, but high retail ground rates can also be a contributing factor. Other stores that have disappeared include Blockbuster, HMV, Virgin Superstore and Fopp.

[Chris]

When I was younger, I always heard my parents and grandparents speak of change. It wasn't until my 30s I really noticed that it was a negative thing. There used to be two shops, 5 minutes away from my parents house. One of them was your usual 'happy shopper'. The other was owned by an elderly couple, I think the bloke was called Reg. He was quite grumpy. I remember getting penny sweets from the shop and toys from the front window.

It was nicely arranged but it was quite small. I think he died and it got sold.

Attached to the same shop, there was a hairdresser behind that you entered from a side door. I used to get my trims from there, a funny story. My mum took me one time, she asked what I wanted to do, and my mum replied, 'the usual please, just take the sides down a bit and a little off the top." The hairdresser then replied, do you want this much off? Holding a comb and scissors. My mum replied, yes. She then started making a few cuts. Then I decided to shave all my hair off.

I had the shortest crew cut possible.

When my mum complained, the hairdresser said that we both had said "all off". I didn't, I know my mum didn't. I think he was starting to lose her mables, as she was quite older, but I got the blame for it.

[Countyman]

There have been many changes before the high street did. Local shops were all over, and supermarkets/department stores ran those out of business. I can’t say I personally miss many of the stores that have fallen, but I do think a simpler time was better.