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Author Archives: buildingourpast
Greenwoods – ‘For Mens Wear’
From a single hat shop in Bradford, Greenwoods expanded to become the largest privately owned men’s outfitter in Britain. It was a ubiquitous presence in high streets from the 1930s until 2019. The story begins in 1860, when the Greenwood … Continue reading
Posted in Fashion and Clothing
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Spotting Historic Shopfronts: St Ives (Hunts)
St Ives (Hunts), once a bustling market town, has a number of historic shopfronts dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many, however, have been altered over the years. For example, the vertical glazing bars have been cut away … Continue reading
Saxone
Britain once had so many chains of home-grown shoe shops that it proved impossible to do justice to Saxone’s rich history in the pages of Chain Stores (reference below). So, here’s a slightly longer version of the story. Last century, … Continue reading
Posted in Shoe Shops
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The London Central Meat Co. Ltd. (Baxters)
The London Central Meat Co. Ltd., renamed Baxters in the 1950s, was one of England’s biggest multiple butchery chains. Traces of its highly branded shops – ofter the simple initials ‘L. C. M. Co. Ltd.’ – can still be discovered … Continue reading
Posted in Butchers' Shops
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Smith & Jones: A Brief History of W. H. Smith’s High Street Shops
After months of anticipation, the process of changing the identity of W. H. Smith’s shops to ‘T. G. Jones’ is underway. The new fascia is yet to be installed on my own local high street, where W. H. Smith continues … Continue reading
Mac Fisheries’ ‘Blue and White’ Shops
For decades, the best known and most artistic chain of fish shops in the United Kingdom was Mac Fisheries, widely advertised as ‘the blue & white shop you’ll find in town & country’. Mac Fisheries was the brainchild of William … Continue reading
Posted in Mac Fisheries
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Alexandre, Alexander the Great Tailor, and Claude Alexander ‘The Scottish Tailors’
The need for uniforms during the Great War gave multiple tailors the opportunity to develop their manufacturing facilities. Its aftermath, with a renewed demand for ‘civvies’, allowed them to build up chains of shops offering affordable ‘bespoke’ tailoring, made in … Continue reading
Posted in Fashion and Clothing
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Sainsbury’s Story
Sainsbury’s underwent a radical transformation from humble origins in the dairy trade to win favour in London’s polite suburbs and, eventually, become one of Britain’s favourite supermarkets. The founder, John James Sainsbury, began his career as a shopboy. Towards the … Continue reading
The Sumptuous Shops of The Mazawattee Tea Co.
Thumbing through their daily newspapers, Victorian consumers were assailed by pictorial advertisement for Mazawattee tea. Indulging nostalgia and sentiment, some featured a dear old lady enjoying tea with her granddaughter, while in others a young woman happily read the future … Continue reading
House of Fraser Stores
In 1927 Hugh Fraser II, the head of Fraser, Sons & Co. Ltd., died, leaving the established family business in Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, Glasgow, in the hands of his entrepreneurial son Hugh Fraser III. Over the next 20 … Continue reading
Posted in Department Stores, House of Fraser
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Building Our Past 