Shops from your childhood no longer around

I remember .... Macfisheries

Bejam (mum and dad went there once a month, regular as clockwork, to stock up our chest freezer)

Timothy Whites

Richard Shops

C&A

A load of electronic retailers whose names escape me ...John Menzies

We've still got the Co-op which is buying Somerfield (which was bought by Morrison's wasn't it? Or am I completely confused?)

Sounds similar, but no, it was Stolen From Ivor- MrsD remembered the name!

Greenwoods mens shop
Partners Stationers - I used to go in there with my pocket money, buy things and keep them "for best"
We had a What Everyone Wants too
Shoe Express

A massive department store in Birmingham city centre called Lewis's!!

It was indeed! Name beginning with F - is that where you grew up too? I love love loved that place, when it closed we went to Seddon's (the newsagents across the road) which wasn't as good on the sweet front, but had a toy section upstairs - ahhh, memories!

MacFisheries became MacMarket which then became International........

and I used to looooove Richard Shops which then changed to Richards

We used to have a Lewis Separates clothing shop which then became Satisfaction, I think that may have been a local thing though.

Timothy whites were bought out by Boots (my mum was a supervisor there) then they became Boots Cookshop and disappeared into a small corner of the Boots store. Right next door was an International Stores, where my mum used to do the shopping in her lunch hour and carry it home after work.

Bartons the bakers - yummy bread and cakes.

MacFisheries - fish, lol.

Williams stores, "When you walk through the door, your pound's worth more, at Wiliams, where else?" - I think Dennis Waterman was in that advert. I can'tg remember what they sold though.

Was the shoe shop someone mentioned called Bata? My husband used to work in their warehouse when he left school, I think it was in Tilbury.

Alan Pond petrol stations, I think that was an Essex chain too.

Woolworths years ago was brilliant, sweets, cakes, food, make up, clothes, haberdashery, you name it you could get it there.

Texas DIY stores. Does anyone remember when they closed/were taken over and re-named? We cleared out our shed at the weekend and there was some Texas tile grout in there, looking a bit worse for wear.

Forbuoys newsagents.

You two have moved on since I first replied to CD ?. We're all talking about the same place, did you ❤️ it too? I went to the chavvy secondary school down the road, to my shame - MrSC loves telling me how he was in the catchment area but his parents cared about his education enough to send him to the County instead! Am now an honorary Brummie but still go back loads as my family is all still down there.

Supa Cigs was the newsagents I was thinking of earlier, great pic n mix selection

No idea - but you've reminded me of Payless DIY. What happened to them ?

And weren't Budgens the ones that had three coloured buds as their mascots ?

God yea what on earth happened to gateway!!!!!!!!!! and our price was brilliant when i was like 13, loved Tammy Girl too not sure if that is still around or not

We still have C&A and Etam here ? the swiss are so 21st century (not).

And NafNaf, I'd forgotten NafNAf existed. NafNaf stuff was soooo cool at my school.

I didn't have any.

I remember Texas (Texas Tom in the ads!!) I bought a fitted kitchen from them and it was a nightmare! They were bought out by Homebase so we ended up with 2 Homebases within 1/2 a mile of each other. Needless to say, one of them closed down soon after.

We still have a Budgen in the next town to us.

We had a large department store called Sopers which became Debenhams. You can always tell who's lived in the area for years because they still call it Sopers!

I remember Times - the furniture store. I bought my first 3 piece suite from them.

Our fav shop as teens for really cool clothes was Snob.

Homebase, that's right. We ended up with 2 homebases within a about 1/2 mile too. You don't live on Essex/Herts border by any chance do you?

I remember the ex-inlaws bought a kitchen from Texas and they had no end of problems when installing it.

I always remember Rumbelows from the Rumbelows Cup..the League cup in the late 1980`s.

What about Lunn Poly...now part of TUI UK. "Lunn Poly? Get Away!"

?There's a blast from the past, we had a Snob over here at one point, what ever happened to that?

Allders (I know there is still one in Croydon) but I loved my local one when I was younger, it had the best toys!!

I thought 'Snob' as soon as I read this - and thought I might have actually come up with somethign original! but having read to the end, i've been beaten to it.

I loved Snob.

For those that miss Etam - there's one on Boulevard St Michel, not hugely convenient but if one were in Paris for the weekend perhaps?!

I remeber everyone in my class at junior school having the same black holder bags from the midland bank and everyone getting very confused abiout whose bags were whose. The pic n mix shop was called confetti I think I loved it in there! Anyone remember Boots cookshop and Timothy Whites?

Also The Sweater Shop, I used to buy all my t-shirts and jumpers from there was obsessed despite making me look like a boy all my friends worn them too!

Does anyone remember Fads (sorry if already mentioned!). For painting and stuff...

We've still got a SuperCigs, and there's a Budgens in a nearby town.

Courts used to have a great pirate ship ball pool to play in while your parents were buying furniture. "Course you can at Courts"

Our Texas had a life size display "house" in it. I loved going in there

Anybody have a Gem or Fine Fare supermarket near them? (Our Gem got turned into ASDA!)

No, I'm in Herts - the 2 stores were in the Hemel Hempstead area. I got my kitchen from Texas in Bushey and I spent months getting it sorted out!

Has anyone mentioned Fine Fare ( supermarket) from the 1970's - orange and white logo and Kwik Save - they only shut a few years ago I think ? Our local fine fare became a Tescos.

Martins newsagents ?

Blimey, I remember SOOO many of these!!!

A few for you Brummies/Midlanders....

Reddingtons Rare Records (when it was next to Rackhams)

Tower Recors

The Plastic FActory

Cyclops sounds

Gino's (Cafe and icecream bar, in the "old" Bullring)

Midland Ed (education)

Also, I remember VG (corner shops) and preedys newsagents

i used to work in pizzaland. ?

the plus size clothes place was evans not etam wasn't it? are they still around? i worked there before pizzaland and lasted 5 weeks.

i miss lewis's, fab old department store. they weren't nationwide though, just in manchester, liverpool and leicester, as well as leeds iirc. they had the real santa there. ?

Yes, I did - a couple of posts above you! I remember Fine Fare well from my childhood as they did a brilliant value range (ahead of its time, surely!) that included caramel-flavoured shortcakes. Nowhere I know did them then or since. They also did juice in animal-shaped bottles, which I bet had loads of nasty stuff in it but was ace.

Waaah-yeeeeees! Do remember the joke that used to go with WEWW? You'd ask someone to name the shops while you drew them clues. You'd draw some wellies, they'd say "Boots", you'd draw some wool and they'd say "woolies" then you'd write "8 inches"- then shout "What Every Woman Wants!" and fall about laughing ? That joke is really history now, isn't it...?

Gawd, Wullie Lows...that is a long time ago...I could spend hours in John Menzies book department as child.

My first Saturday job was in Curtess Shoes - I don't think they exist any more

And there was a clothes shop in Stourbridge High Street called Foxy Lady . . . . you can just tell from the name what sort of clothes it sold

We also had MacFisheries, QwikSave (are they still around?), Stead & Simpson and Greenwoods