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Author Archives: buildingourpast
True-Form
The boot and shoe manufacturer J. Sears & Co. (True-Form Boot Co.) Ltd. was founded in Northampton in 1891 by John George Sears (1870-1916), who was soon joined in business by his younger brother William Thomas Sears (1876-1950). The Sears … Continue reading
Posted in Shoe Shops
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Forgotten Fashions: Etam
Etam was one of several fashion or boutique chains which were popular with young women in the mid-20th century. Its main rivals through the 1960s and 1970s included Dorothy Perkins, Chelsea Girl (sigh!), Richard Shops, Wallis and Miss Selfridge. In later … Continue reading
Posted in Fashion and Clothing
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Dolcis: The World of Fashion at your Feet
Some of the most adventurous and exciting shoe shops of the 20th century – and especially of the 1950s – belonged to Dolcis. Once ubiquitous but ultimately ephemeral, scant trace of these can be found on the present-day high street. … Continue reading
Posted in Shoe Shops
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Remembering Littlewoods Stores
For much of the 20th century, the Moores family operated a number of highly profitable businesses under the ‘Littlewoods’ name, including football pools and mail-order catalogues. The most visible aspect of their lucrative empire, however, was the chain of Littlewoods … Continue reading
Posted in Littlewoods
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British Home Stores Part 3: 1960 to 2016
The last of BHS’s war-damaged stores to be rebuilt was Bristol, where a ‘temporary’ store had traded for many years. The new building opened in 1960 on a corner site and had an attractive concave frontage with a sweeping canopy … Continue reading
Posted in British Home Stores (BHS)
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British Home Stores Part 2: the 1940s and 1950s
At the end of 1939 British Home Stores (BHS) was operating 58 stores in England and Wales. Two stores were still under construction in the early war years and one of these – in Lewisham – was requisitioned and not … Continue reading
Posted in British Home Stores (BHS)
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British Home Stores Part 1: 1928-39
British Home Stores, commonly known as ‘BHS’, was registered as a private company in London in April 1928. The exact circumstances of its foundation remain mysterious, as do the personalities involved, but the intention from the outset seems to have … Continue reading
Posted in British Home Stores (BHS)
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The Public Benefit Boot Co and Lennards
The Public Benefit Boot & Shoe Co The Public Benefit Boot & Shoe Co – what a name! It makes an overt claim to altruistic philanthropy, something that was often little more than a cynical advertising ploy for Victorian businessmen. … Continue reading
Posted in Shoe Shops
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‘Shop-Coolness and Counter-Cleanliness’: The Legacy of the Maypole Dairy Co
Introduction Some of the most ornate and distinctive shopfronts created by British provision chains in the late 19th and early 20th centuries belonged to the Maypole Dairy Co. These are highly recognisable and well worth looking out for, though examples … Continue reading
The Legacy of Home & Colonial Stores
Introduction Decades have passed since large superstores asserted their dominance over the retail food market, yet attractive remnants of old grocery and provision chains can still be spotted on shopping streets throughout the UK. One of the most recognisable is … Continue reading
Building Our Past 