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Which stores do you miss?

(118 Posts)
Grandmabeach Tue 03-Nov-20 13:18:47

Sadly many businesses will probably close because of Covid but which ones do you miss from the past? Woolworths? C&A? Dolcis? to name a few.

polnan Wed 04-Nov-20 11:47:54

manegirl

I remember that now, we had one in Birmingham, and my mum said exactly the same to me!

hulahoop Wed 04-Nov-20 11:49:35

C&A and BHS my husband used to get most of his clothes from c&a always was a good fit. When we went to Germany we had to pay a visit he got a couple of shirts .

Madammim1 Wed 04-Nov-20 11:50:33

Most definitely Woolworths and Ethel Austins I got my 3 dcs most of their clothes from there

Spangler Wed 04-Nov-20 11:55:34

Come on, own up. How many went into the Green Shield showroom armed with books of saver stamps?

Willow500 Wed 04-Nov-20 11:56:43

I always bought my underwear from BHS so miss that and C&A where I bought my best ever coat - a black (imitation) suede zipped jacket with fur cuffs and collar. My mum and I used to love going there for lunch when we were out shopping and also the cafe in Woolworths.

Having just moved back to our home town I'm going to miss BM Stores which was just down the road - the nearest one here is about 12 miles away sad

Hellsbelles Wed 04-Nov-20 11:59:43

Woolworths and BHS.

Bazza Wed 04-Nov-20 12:05:52

Dickens and Jones in Regent street. Jaeger when they were a bit special. And East before they lost the plot.

Bluedaisy Wed 04-Nov-20 12:20:38

Whitewavemark2 I too miss Hanningtons in Brighton, I used to love dropping my son to school on a nice day driving over the race hill down to Hanningtons and going in for breakfast tea and a meander through all the beautiful departments. Proper lingerie department, proper China department (sigh) proper gift, shoes and handbag dept with unusual gifts in different departments. Then a wander through the lanes would always cheer me up if I had things I needed to mull over in my head. I miss those days.....

Riggie Wed 04-Nov-20 12:30:54

I had a saturday job in BHS so admit to a certain fondness. Back then they had a food hall and their lighting department was considered second to none. We had manual tills and had to add a customers purchases up in our heads. I was on socks so leople would sometimes buy a dozen pairs - did wonders for my mental arithmetic!!

But in later years the clothing quality went downhill imho, and the lighting and homewares were replaced by tat.

The last thing we bought was school uniform suit (bought as separates) for ds where they tried to massively overcharge me. Clearly mental arithmetic was no longer a requirement as they couldn't work out the correct amount!

knspol Wed 04-Nov-20 12:37:07

When I first started working I would go to C&A every pay day and buy myself a new outfit, a miniskirt or kilt and a matching jumper or a 'Mary Quant' dress. Loved that shop.

MagicWand Wed 04-Nov-20 13:12:56

East, always my go to shop when I needed something that made me look half way decent. Thankfully the designs were classics (with a twist) and they lasted so well I still wear some you could almost call vintage!

jocork Wed 04-Nov-20 13:14:28

I was in Hannover last week visiting DS and family. We went exploring in the city and my son pointed out they have a Woolworths store. Hadn't seen one for years!

The thing I miss the most though is all the small high end gift shops and craft stores that were on a site near us. The site was sold and all the individual shops were demolished. They were replaced by a Tesco store and a number of national chain stores and restaurants. The small shops relocated, some to our village high street, but many didn't survive in the changed location. There is no longer anywhere nearby to buy the craft supplies I used to get there so I end up having to buy online or travel miles to get the things I need. I'm sure a lot of individual shops selling non essential goods may cease trading and that will force us to go online more and more. Amazon is doing very well out of lockdown but I hope people will support the smaller businesses otherwise there will be less and less choice out there.

Rumpunch Wed 04-Nov-20 13:27:15

Richard shops and Hammels.

Nanny27 Wed 04-Nov-20 13:31:29

Army and Navy

hicaz46 Wed 04-Nov-20 13:49:30

And Vokins in Brighton

Maria1walker Wed 04-Nov-20 14:04:31

My friend used to call it Charles and Arthur. Sounded quite posh until she told me it was her code for C&A.

JenniferEccles Wed 04-Nov-20 14:07:02

Rumpunch I was going to say exactly the same as you about Richard Shops and Hammels.

Amazingly, considering they weren’t expensive, the dresses were good quality. I still have a few Summer dresses which are around 25 years old!
They get dug out each Summer, and I never see anyone else wearing the same!

MissAdventure Wed 04-Nov-20 14:11:24

Richard shops are filled with all the pretty things.. that was the ad, I think.
Hey there pretty thing! Make the world a prettier place. Come prettier, come buy your things at Richard shops!

Nanna58 Wed 04-Nov-20 14:38:46

MacFisheries -;we were able to have a fish cake and some potatoe croquettes for Friday tea- I can still R.E.M. er the taste!

chimes22 Wed 04-Nov-20 14:42:29

British Home stores for my bath mats and towels

narrowboatnan Wed 04-Nov-20 14:53:30

Woolworths, without a doubt. What a treat it was to buy a quarter pound of hot, salty, greasy peanuts in a grease proof paper bag. I loved those nuts.

CR39 Wed 04-Nov-20 15:03:00

BHS for me. The only trousers that fit me perfectly. M&S size 12 are too big and 10 are too small. Are there any half sizes anywhere?! ?

CR39 Wed 04-Nov-20 15:06:04

C&A was always referred to as Coats and Ats! They still have C&A in Switzerland!!

PollyDolly Wed 04-Nov-20 15:09:21

Woolworths, British Home Stores and Fords which was a fabulous shop in our town selling undies, socks, kids clothes, knitwear, tee shirts........sad day when they closed down.

PollyDolly Wed 04-Nov-20 15:10:50

MissAdventure

Richard shops are filled with all the pretty things.. that was the ad, I think.
Hey there pretty thing! Make the world a prettier place. Come prettier, come buy your things at Richard shops!

Oh yes, MissA, I remember Richard Shops too!