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Lewis's Department Store

Would have loved those Maria. In fact would still love them today if in very soft leather. Ooooh, gorgeous.

I thought the model in the advert might be Mary Quant, or a lookalike, but wasn’t sure. I can’t say I remember Miss Selfridge selling MQ clothes, but they might well have done. Viv.
 
colinwilliams1 said:
Lewis,s had been in Birmingham since the late 1800,s and it is said that David Lewis the founder of the empire stood on all the street corners until he found the busiest and that ,s wher he built the store.

The roof garden I can remeber going to as a child and I belive it was closed when someone committed suicide.

I also worked at Lewis,s from 1968 to 1976 and staff were allowed onto the roof during break times.

As a child we had our school uniforms bought from Lewis,s and the nnaula trip included a meal in the resturant where we had fish (cod ) and chips and bread and tea. A great treat .

I can remember seeing father Christmas there too as a child and uncle Holly .

When I worked there running the grotto was one of the jobs I had and thee year I was there we had a father Christams who had the same name as me .He was a student at bham uni and kept pet rats.
One of which he brought into work and kept inside his father xmas outfit It pooped out one day and casused a bit of a rukus . so wasnt alowed again.

In the early days of the store the basement was flooded and turned into a miniture venice for a promotion .and during the war it became a temporary hospital.

We had continual bomb scares during the early 1970s .

A friend from school, father died falling down a lift shaft (he was a lift engineer)

We used to have great staff parties One was at the " Locano" opposite where Toys rus is now.
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Hello Colin,
I don't suppose you remember a Gladys Davis who used to work in the clothing department.She may have had a different married name after 1960.I am just following up on my original birth Mom who I never met and was just trying to obtain any info I can.She would have been 40 in 1960 .Just to try it is a long shot. Thank you
Best regards,
Barry
 
Kandor said:
In the late 50's and up to the mid 60's my Mom worked at Lewis's
She worked there as a cleaner doing the morning and evening shifts.
Mom was one of those women who always wore a pinny, I swear I cant remember if she even took it off for a bath...
The pinny had one of those Kangaroo pouches in the front, Mom used it to store more nuts than a Squirrel.
She was forever nibbling away on Peanuts, Walnuts, Hazel nuts, every type of nut you could think of.
Mom claimed she picked them up off the floor as she cleaned around the counters, all I'll say is, the staff at Lewis's must have been the clumsiest Assistants in history.
Mom being Staff also got us in to see Father Christmas and Uncle Holly every year, we even managed to get a small present, and we never seemed to wait in the queues.
Mom even took us on to the roof park there, but I cant really remember much about it, that bit is lost to history I'm afraid.
I remember when I first moved to Tamworth,
I invited my neighbour Terry around for a drink the one Saturday night.
I was quite suprised to discover that Terry too was a Nechellite from around Belmont Row.
We got to talking about the past and he asked about my Mom and Dad etc and where they worked.
Well the night ended and Terry and Gill went home, the next evening he returned and handed me a photograph.
Now, when I talk about my Mom and Dad here, I do so without thinking too deeply about them, you see, the sad truth is, even after 30 odd years the memory is still too painful to bear.
The photograph Terry handed me was one of his Mother enjoying a staff party with her best friend..
And her best friend was my Mom...
She was holding a bottle of Mackeson and laughing into the camera..
I have built so many barriers and defences over the years, they were designed to get me through some painful times and protect me from my early life.
That photograph destroyed every one....and it broke my heart.
Terry very kindly gave it to me, I keep it now as one of my greatest treasures.
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I have just found this thread.......... I am really going to enjoy reading it........ I don't know if this is the right place to respond, apologies if it isn't. Regards
 
Vivienne14 said:
Absolutely right Susan. Enjoy your trip down memory lane ! Viv.
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Susan. You are totally right. It is so nice to share stories & keep the memories going, even though some can be painful. I for one have share memories from my early life in & around Birmingham, & have felt some were painful, but sharing these memories help future generations understand what it was like growing up in Birmingham in those days. Kindest regards. michael
 
Oisin said:
sga,

Yeah, those were the days. :lol: I don't think the REAL Father Christmas has been to Brum since they closed his REAL grotto. I'm told (much too young to remember) that there used to be a great parade through the city centre when he arrived - bit like Christ arriving in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. :)
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I started work at 16, my 1st job was as a trainee junior window dresser (1972) with Lewis's display Department. I was fortunate to have a long and happy time at Birminghams' favorite store. I ended up as Assistant Promotions Manager (1990). Along the way I helped to design and build many Christmas Grottos, organise the Father Christmas Store arrivals and put up many seasonal displays on the famous Corporation Street/Bull Street corner of the building throughout the late 70's and 80's. (There are a lot of memories on the Lewis's Department Store Birmingham Facebook site with photographs too.) I get a warm feeling of pride when I read about how some of the window displays, the Christmas grotto's, Easter farms, fashion shows and so on completed by the talented display teams at Lewis's have created such strong fond memories for Birmingham families over many years.
 
Barry Hughes said:
I started work at 16, my 1st job was as a trainee junior window dresser (1972) with Lewis's display Department. I was fortunate to have a long and happy time at Birminghams' favorite store. I ended up as Assistant Promotions Manager (1990). Along the way I helped to design and build many Christmas Grottos, organise the Father Christmas Store arrivals and put up many seasonal displays on the famous Corporation Street/Bull Street corner of the building throughout the late 70's and 80's. (There are a lot of memories on the Lewis's Department Store Birmingham Facebook site with photographs too.) I get a warm feeling of pride when I read about how some of the window displays, the Christmas grotto's, Easter farms, fashion shows and so on completed by the talented display teams at Lewis's have created such strong fond memories for Birmingham families over many years.
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Lewis's was my favorite store in Birmingham. Spent many happy hours going up & down the old wooden escalators. How times have changed, (sadly, for the worst). At least we have the wonderful memories & can feel young again when we think about how times were when we were young. The window displays were always so special, & the display on the corner, always amazed me every year. How I wish Lewis's was kept as a store instead of what we have today.
 
The food hall we had the best delicatessen in Brum it was featured on ATV today 6pm news we were either side of the stairs in front the bread counter meats salamis on the right salads olives SMOked salmon on the left later we were moved to travel bureau Square area that made it better as it kept it self contained the girls were Greek Cypriot German Austrian Polish Russian Irish Brummie because we had to order from Germany and Poland had to learn a bit of each we had to cover for kosher the main customers were polish Jewish and German our Polish bread was baked up Broad street and used to be red hot by a Ploish jew German bread or brot came via S cotland English people used to think it was ordinary bread and used to direct them to the bread counter the only draw back being where were was the barrels of salt herrings barrels of sauer kraut had to be wheeled up the Minories along Bull st and into the door oppo to Greys to get into our dept it was a very enjoyable place to work and give you a good knowledge continental foods bearing in mind 1960s and as of today I still buy a lot of food when passing a Polish shop later we intrduced Indian foods and lovely Indian girl to help us there were more than 3500 lines on that dept
 
Lento You are so right about being the best deli in Birmingham and I loved going there and being overwhelmed by the fragrances of coffee, meats and bread. The only time I was disappointed was in the 60s when I went in there with my German pen pal who was staying with me in search of German Black Bread (Pumpernickel). After trying all sort of places without success I was certain we would find some there. Sadly no, the nearest they could come up with was a dark granary type loaf. Nowadays it can be bought at most supermarkets but then no way.
 
the brains be hind this was due to husband and wife John Ridley Forster the best you could get they were hoteliers un fortunateley while I worked with him he was away then we found out he had a stress break down thats when I took over
 
lento said:
The food hall we had the best delicatessen in Brum it was featured on ATV today 6pm news we were either side of the stairs in front the bread counter meats salamis on the right salads olives SMOked salmon on the left later we were moved to travel bureau Square area that made it better as it kept it self contained the girls were Greek Cypriot German Austrian Polish Russian Irish Brummie because we had to order from Germany and Poland had to learn a bit of each we had to cover for kosher the main customers were polish Jewish and German our Polish bread was baked up Broad street and used to be red hot by a Ploish jew German bread or brot came via S cotland English people used to think it was ordinary bread and used to direct them to the bread counter the only draw back being where were was the barrels of salt herrings barrels of sauer kraut had to be wheeled up the Minories along Bull st and into the door oppo to Greys to get into our dept it was a very enjoyable place to work and give you a good knowledge continental foods bearing in mind 1960s and as of today I still buy a lot of food when passing a Polish shop later we intrduced Indian foods and lovely Indian girl to help us there were more than 3500 lines on that dept
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Oh Lento, this is a great post. How well you have remembered things. I have lots of memories of Lewis’s but the food hall, yes it was wonderful. So many different foods. I remember looking over the stairs at the delicatessen and all I remember seeing was the Russian salad and the herrings. Of course being very young these two things did not appeal. Fortunately, growing up and travelling I have learnt to love lots of different food and can honestly say there isn’t much I don’t like. Thanks for the memory., Regards Sue
 
The good news is some yes later John returned to good health he and his wife opened a nice deli under st Martin's house went to see them it was called delicatessen specialities and they took Wendy with them she used to. Be on frozen foods
 
Further to the deli some years later I went to look at the deli I can't remember when and was very sad to see it had Been put on a landing area between ggrond floor and basement not patch what it was does any body remember el sombrero coffee bar was on horse fair
 
Assistanf Hi Maria rack hams food hall started much later it wasn't much to start then they had a ScAre with mice and had to shut for awhile our assistant manager off the cheese went there as food hall manager after Lewis's did not treat him well which was a shame he was well liked by every body
 
michaelwicks54 said:
From what I remember as a child, Lewis's food hall was so much better than Rackams's. Much better aroma too. I would always feel hungry every time I went into Lewis's, even after having something to eat before going in. That was how lovely the aroma was.
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Hi Maria all in-store cakes specially the peach and strawberry slice were done on 6th floor bakery bread and fresh cream cakes also the hams were roasted on the 6th the biscuits were either side the escalator each dept was given number the deli and cheese was s16 tinned goods were another number as were cooked meats greens and fruit fresh meats fish frozen bacon sweets chocolate tea coffee so all together gives smells and aromas
 
I often wonder if that english electric 6 cylinder diesel standby generator is still in the sub basement in A block is still there in the generator room superb when running the exhaust went out to tall stack behind the stork hotel
 
MalcBroms said:
Hi Just thought that I would share my memories of Lewis’s. I worked in the Food Hall around 1975-1976. I as Asst Manager on Cheese, Groceries and the Bread/cakes. We sold over 100 different varieties of breads and every Saturday there would be queues for the ring donuts that came fresh from Bradfords at West Brom. We would sell easily 2000 in a day. i remember that a we had fresh hot bread come in from Bradford’s on Sat p.m. bread that was actually made as Mondays bread buy we had it special. During that relay hot Summer of ‘76 we sold cold drinks in Minories, from bins and buckets filled with ice. We used to sell all sorts special offer groceries in the Minories to passers by..especially popular was tins of red Salmon..a real Sunday treat.

Lewis’s had a fabulous Deli counter staffed by a polish lady, it was far better than snooty Rackhams.

The food Hall used t have loose, self service, frozen foods - like pies and veg. This is coming into fashion 50 years to save on packaging!

Who remembers the loose biscuit counter with those wonderful Mrs. Kippax’s biscuits?

Ands who couldn’t forget the loose sweet counter where sold mountains of chocolate hazelnut whirls, Callard and Bowsers cream-line toffees and Mintoes too.

Happy days and a brilliant store to work in.
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The Polish lady do know her name was it Bashir Mastarlecz in English Bashir is Barbara
 
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