Wigan Album

Broadbent and Boothroyd's store in Southport alwats reminds me of Lowe's.

I vaguely remember my mam buying parachute silk from there..can anyone verify the year.

OMG! Lowes Dept Store ! Takes me back to the 70`s - the entrance steps used to be packed out at weekends or mid week -was the place you met up for that special date - or not so special as it sometimes turned out !!!!! LOL

I seem to remember going in there for my hair cut as a very young child. Was there an hairdressers in there or is it my amagination? I do remember seeing Father Christmas in there and my gift was a game of Tiddlywinks.

Norman & Phillip had their salon there in the late 70's or early 80's I think it would be. My Mum was receptionist there for a few years. She retired about 1984.

Know what you mean about Boothroyds and Broadbents, Whittakers in Bolton too still has the same charm as did Pendleburys (later Debs). The modern stores are much more airy and efficient but they won't be remember 50, 100 years from now will they. Lowes and the like had character and charm as did the sales people who worked there. It was an experience wondering through the different levels as a child getting lost among all the rails and shelving. I presume Lowes had floor walkers in the dim and distant past but I can't say I remember them. Did they?

I can't remember floor-walkers, but there would have been at one time. There used to be another dept. store in Bolton besides Whittaker's, (Whitehead's , I think), and I was in some years ago when it was closing down and they were selling everything off. I felt so sad. I love First of The Summer Wine, which I have on dvd, about the lives of Compo, Foggy and Clegg when they were about 18 years old, and a lot of it is set in The Co-op, when they sold all manner of goods, (it was filmed at Beamish), and it fascinates me. I LOVE old shops with their paper bags, rolls of brown paper, cardboard boxes etc. There is a floorwalker in the co-op on the programme. My husband and I go to 1940s weekends, dressed in period clothes, and often the shops in the towns/villages where the events are held decorate their windows with old adverts etc. We are off to the Lytham 1940s weekend tomorrow. I am also fascinated by how goods were sold "loose", and the assistants were taught how to make a neat bag or parcel of sugar, dried fruit etc. Sadly a lost art. I would have loved to have done that. I have worked at both Debenhams and Boots, but, alas, in the days of the plastic carrier!

Great memories Irene, I certainly remember the stores in the days before carrier bags, the bacon sclicer on the counter, greaseproof paper, brown paper bags. I vividly remember the Co-op in Catherine St facing Holland Street, off Scholefield Lane. A large block of butter from which the assistant in brown coat would cut off and use two wooden paddles to pat it and form a nice rectangular shape for you before wrapping. Great times.

And a chair for customers to sit on, JohnAlan!

I remember they used to send your money through the tube up to the office and they had the best christmas Grotto, girls got a present wrapped in pink paper and boys in blue.A really good memory of shopping at it's best.

I can remember getting the 25 bus outside lowes to get home to beech hill. I loved going into the toy department at christmas, then going to see santa. Them were the days if i was lucky i would get a drink as well though usually we went to Voses that was further down the street.

Hello John Alan
Is it possible to get a copy of this photograph? I lived in Beech Hill from about 1941 until 1951. Lowes and the Beech Hill bus outside took me right back there. It would mean a great deal to me and my sister - (we now live in British Columbia, Canada) - iof we could somehow get a copy. Perhaps you would kindly email me. Many thanks ....................Pat Hindley

istarted work back in 1972 when it was nora webser and norman i remember all the staff from then jill Yvonne and her sister vikky dorothy barry who i worked with when we had the second sallon built upstars.kathryn jeanette there was alot of staff at weekends extra girls coming in to shampoo ext and still doing hairdresing to this day loved those years