What now defunct stores did you like shopping at?

[glovestrains]

Woolworths
Netto
Blockbusters

I’d forgotten about The Reject Shop. I bought a lovely full dinner and tea service in there just before I got married in 1974. It was white bone china with a thin silver rim. No idea why it was a reject as I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I passed it on to my parents some years later and when I was clearing out their house after my dad died in 2018 I found he still had some of the plates and bowls.

yes I agree with this about the body shop being rubbish now. I have a teen dd and we recently went in the body shop and i couldnt believe how rubbish its gone. I was telling dd how great it was when I was her age early 90s. what's happened to the animal and fruit shaped little soaps and the little bottles of tangerine bubble bath. And not forgetting the dewberry or white musk body sprays.
Teenagers no longer shop at body shop like we did body shop need to bring all this stuff back.

Yes, that's a perfect way to describe how they were! It was the first shop I remember having a sort of "Design" inside, if you know what I mean.

The Pier.

Ah yes, I loved Coppernob! I can exactly picture the one in the Argyle Centre in Glasgow. You'd never get a shop called that these days, we used to live in much more innocent times!

Razzle Dazzle became "Internacionale"

@SephrinaX it was, bizarrely, actually

"internaçionale" with a random cedilla ion the c, we used to laugh about what language they were pretending it came from and say it as "internashonally".

At one point there were about 4 branches of Razzle Dazzle on Princes St in Edinburgh. I feel in my mind it might have been connected historically to What Everyone (Every Woman) Wants?

Woolworths
C and A
Laura Ashley

I miss The Pier, Woolworths and Spoils (a kitchen seconds shop)

Peter Robinson store on Oxford Circus, Dickens and Jones, Bourne & Hollingworth, Marshall & Snelgrove which think transmogrified into Debenhams? Heals and Habitat on the Kings Road, Athena, Woolworths ( I really miss Woollies) Caleys of Windsor, a JL shop, very sad when that was demolished, all that wonderful oak and quiet ambience.

Fenwicks in Bond Street is closing ?!
I don’t know why I’m alarmed as I haven’t been there for years.
Fabulous January sales, wonderful store. Sad news.

Cripps ! gosh that brings back memories, my Nan had an account there -
Bold Street ‘time slips’ often involve the fascade of Cripps.
George Henry Lees for school shoes.

This has been a fascinating thread, with some impressive memory recall, thanks.

Haha I indeed remember the 'ç'. The home wear section was called AuNaturale so they were trying to be fancy with that too

I worked for the one in Aberdeen for about 6 years and we never knew the reasoning behind the name either.

I've not heard of that other name though?

I used to shop a lot in Chelsea Girl, Biba, and Topshop.
Underwoods chemists too, could spend hours in there.

Ravel
Dolcis
Kew
Racing Green (smart casual women's wear, not the suit shop you get in outlet villages)
Warehouse

Borders books, with the coffee shops

Habitat (shops!!! Not the handful of buts you get in Argos and Sainsbury's)

Etam

I don't know if this was a chain, but there was a shop in Oxford that I loved called Cult Clothing. It was mostly out of my price range but I went there all the time when I was younger to see what they had and if I could find cheaper versions elsewhere. I did save up and buy a khaki, hooded Bench cardigan (with thumbholes in the cuffs, I LOVED tops that had those) and I still have it 20 odd years later, only my daughter wears it now as it no longer fits me. Also had a black full length version.

More of a specific place than a chain - but the House of Fraser in Birmingham in the 90s. My god it was glorious. Luxury loos if you had a members card and the most incredible food hall in the basement. We could do almost our entire Christmas shopping down there. It was a destination in itself.

Watching it decline over the years until it finally closed was actually quite upsetting. I'd love to go back for a day for a wander around.

I loved Pilot! Loads of silly skimpy going out wear in the days I weighed about the same as a Tunnocks tea cake.

MKOne which I think was a stand-alone when they opened the centre in MK. Tat but trendy tat.

Bay Trading and Dolcis for spending my wages and birthday money, C&A clockhouse if mum was paying.

The Reject Shop. And the BHS cafe with my tween bestie for pretending we were ladies who lunch.

I used to love wondering around Dickins & Jones, Debenhams & House of Fraser . I worked in Covent Garden as a teenager and loved the General Store. Happy days.

Totally agree that the pleasure of shopping and 'going into town' is now lost! I loved Richard Shops and Dolcis. I loved the variety of shops and that they had their own character.
Not a chain store but does anyone from Leicester remember Benny's and Where The Girls Are?

In general: Bay Trading, Steamer Trading and House of Fraser as it was pre Mike Ashley.

From my own high street: H&M, House of Fraser, Lakeland. Not defunct but no longer nearby & I hate it.

All these people on here saying how they used to love "wandering around" department stores....no wonder they all went bust. You gotta actually buy stuff 🤣

Past Times. Loved that shop.

Yes, it was a really useful shop.
You could also get fitted for a bra, pick up some comfy pj's, get some decent cosmetics and some gifts at the last minute that didn't look crap.

@SOMumm That's why I was asking about Cripps earlier in the thread, having read about the Liverpool Bold Street time slip I didn't know if it was a stand alone store in Liverpool or whether it had been a chain historically 🙂