Shops that have gone but not forgotten

[Vivana]

What shops do you miss that have closed down. Mine would have to be woolworths. I use to love going in there.

Oooh yes the light in BHS was fab!!!

Early Next, not current plastic shit.

Maybe as all the shops selling polyester have now collapsed, we might see a rise in good design again.

But all those jobs😥

I loved Woolworths so much. We used to go on caravan holidays as a child (including lots of driving) and before each holiday my brother and I were allowed to go to Woolworths and buy a huge bag of pick n mix each, to keep in the car. We would be picking at them throughout the two week holidays and they usually lasted just about long enough!

I used to love Cockburn Street Market in Edinburgh in the 70s and 80s. Alternative fashion, jewelry and haircolours. Lovely silver hoop earrings, puzzle rings - I still have some of the jewelry from there.
I remember Afflecks Palace, I think it was, Manchester in the 80s, but I saw someplace called Afflecks Arcade on TV a few months ago - whether it was old film, I don’t know. I think it was about Madchester? I still have some postcards I got there.
I miss shopping without masks and all the "old fashioned" shops. Maybe there will be a revival someday. Haven’t ventured to buy any clothes online yet, I prefer at least seeing clothes even if I can’t try them on. Only stuff I've got recently has been from Tesco/Asda!

[quote DryRoastPeanut]@FreshfieldsGal I’m always amazed when W.H.Smith manage to make it through another year. How do they keep going?[/quote]
Upselling half price Toblerones at the checkout

I haven't shopped on a high street or in a mall for almost 20 years. I had no idea that many of the shops listed by PPs had gone.

I wonder what the future holds for our high streets. I used to think it would be services, such as cafés, coffee shops, hairdressers, beauty salons etc. But Covid has killed many of those. Probably many shops will eventually become housing.

I was gutted when Chelsea Girl became River Island.

Woolworths
Mkone
Bhs

Do you remember some very old supermarket names too:-
Bejam
Liptons
Finefayre
WavyLine

Oh Adams and mother are too

I actually miss Toys R Us, there aren't any other shops near us where you can see/try the toys and get inspiration.

Early learning centre
Morgan from the mid 90s
Coast from the late 90s
Principles

City Bakeries
What Every Woman Wants
Razzle Dazzle
Wrygges

All in Glasgow.

I don’t suppose I can say I miss them but... Tiny and Time PCs?! They were opposite ends of the high street. Seems a strange concept now.

[quote DryRoastPeanut]@FreshfieldsGal I’m always amazed when W.H.Smith manage to make it through another year. How do they keep going?[/quote]
People always say that it's the service station/airport type business that keeps them going. But I don't see how. Rents must be huge and not as many people buy magazines and newspapers now. Most places have a Starbucks or Costa for drinks and food I've never seen anyone buy their manky looking meal deals and their bizarre range of wooden ducks and tins of Xmas shortbread sold year round can't bring in much money.

The only place they have a captive audience is in our local hospital where they sell £1 Mars bars and crap gifts.

Just saw than Bonmarche is going now too. My grandma will be upset!

@pennee

I used to love our town as a teen. It really had it all. There was a great mix of local shops and national retailers but shoe shopping was just the best. We had Freeman Hardy Willis, Curtess, Northern Shoe Company. There was another beginning with P too and Truman’s maybe 🤔. It was fab as you went from one to the another before making a final choice! Proper day out stuff in comparison to now where you have to go to somewhere massive like Liverpool one to get the same experience.

Trueform. That was the name!

I loved punkyfish!
I had a wonderful black long sleeved top from there that I thought was so dareing... It was slashed all over so you could see the red top underneath.... Took ages to get my arms down the hoop like sleeves though 🤣

Ford's
Woolies
The hardware store that was local. Bloody brilliant it was. Bought a flask but it broke recently. Lasted a good 25 years.

@Maireas

Going round the shops used to be a real treat, didn't it? Going with friends, trying on clothes, going for coffee. It's all dying out now.

I know! The excitement of meeting friends to go shopping. I thought it was an age thing though. Don’t teenagers want to do this (outside of COVID obviously)?

My offering is Stirling Cooper. Anyone remember them .. there used to be a shop on the corner of - I think - Dean Street in Manchester.

I can remember my mum and I parking my dad outside it as though he were a dog, because he wouldn’t come in

I remember Trueform🙂. Dolcis was my favourite though.

@SallyCinnamon3009

Didn't Chelsea girl become river island? Does anyone remember Lewis'?

I miss Kendall's in Manchester it's not the same now it's a regular House of Fraser. I'm sure it had a fancy food hall when I was little

It did! I can remember ordering Parmesan at the cheese counter as a student (trying to be oh so sophisticated) - it came to about £7.50 for the piece that was cut and I had to tell the guy I didn’t want it . Cringe.

I used to LOVE Stirling Cooper. And Snob!

Those of you who mentioned Sheffield. Do you remember that hippy shop Pippy’s? It sold Willie warmers and put them in the window. We used to think it was hilarious age 13.

Also Rebina shoes? Patronised by early League fans before the girls joined. To be worn with elan at The Limit club? 😁And then you fell off the stage....

John Lewis - ok they haven't gone but I do miss 1980s John Lewis with their not-very hip canteen (I always used to order sardines on toast) and their extremely courteous lift attendants.

With so many streaming services, I feel we've lost the magic of going out and picking a movie.
We still have a local video rental shop - sadly doesn't sell popcorn though!

I used to be able to spend hours in Virgin Megastores, ground floor for music, basement for videos or DVD's when they came out, and top floor for video games and posters. I used to wander round all the floors and be in heaven.

Is Miss Selfridge still going? I used to get a lot of clothes in there, and makeup too it was really funky.