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Henrys Stores

catmum

catmum

knowlegable brummie
Does anyone remember Henrys, a shop that was around in the '60s. It was where W.H.Smiths is now. Did anyone on the forum work there? Would love to know more.
 
Some information about the store .... :)
oldMohawk said:
On a rainy day in 1938 they are crossing High Street. Henrys shop behind them was on the corner of Martineau Street. Luftwaffe bombs demolished Henrys in WW2 and they traded from a temporary store built on the site. Henrys moved to a permanent building on the corner of Union Street c1957 and the temporary store was demolished in 1958.
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Martineau Street does not exist now but the old Henrys shop would be approximately where the Deichmann shop is in this image.
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A photo of Henrys in Union Street in the post below
Phil said:
Two photos here one of Henry's store in the corner of Martineau St and High St and the other later store next to the tax offices in Union Street. I think there was another store on the High Street before the one in the photo, but it might have been in a slightly different location.
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Recently I came across a site where people were talking about the shops that had gone but were still missed. Henrys was one that came up but also someone mentioned Neatawear! It rings a bell but does anyone remember it and have I got the name right?
 
That was quick, and that's a very big debt for that time. Isn't it strange how we forget some things. I do believe I bought a dress from there, I still remember it! Loved that dress.
 
I bought the occasional item of clothing from Henry's, mostly tee shirts.

I also used to seek out ex juke box records which they also used to sell.
 
The old Henry's Store was on the High St opposite the News Theatre. It is shown here being demolished in 1958 after the opening of the new store in Union Street.



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City High St Henry's Demolition 1958.
 
michaelwicks54 said:
Rackhams was nice, but very expensive & staff were not very friendly, hereas Lewis's was excellent, had a brilliant atmosphere, everything was affordable & the staff were very friendly & helpful. I guess that is why I kept going back to Lewis's & not Rackhams. Another store I loved going to was Henrys. Another brilliant store that was affordable & had friendly helpful staff.
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Loved Henrys store, my friend and I would shop there for cheap accessories, mainly cravats, they were a fashion must in the 60s to wear with a leather coat!
 
Lemonella said:
Loved Henrys store, my friend and I would shop there for cheap accessories, mainly cravats, they were a fashion must in the 60s to wear with a leather coat
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Lemonella said:
Loved Henrys store, my friend and I would shop there for cheap accessories, mainly cravats, they were a fashion must in the 60s to wear with a leather coat!
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Same here my friend and I loved looking around Henry's, always busy, lots of items you couldn't get anywhere else. Fond memories.
 
Lemonella said:
Loved Henrys store, my friend and I would shop there for cheap accessories, mainly cravats, they were a fashion must in the 60s to wear with a leather coat!
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When I was an apprentice, I came to town on day release to the old. old Matthew Boulton college in Horsefair, and at lunchtime used Henrys restaurant. Not necessarily the best food available in the centre, but good size portions at very affordable prices.
 
Reading through some of these gave me a couple of flashback memories from when I was somewhere around 6-7. I haven't thought about Henrys for a loooooong time even though it was a shop (before we had 'stores') that Mum and I would pop in to most times we Went Shopping In Town, which in the early-mid 50s was most Saturday mornings for a couple of hours wander-around.

On one visit it was close to lunch time, so after we had looked around for a while we went up to the restaurant. It looked okay to me, seemed a fancier version of the canteen at school where you went along and chose what you wanted and it was spooned on to your plate. When it was our turn Mum asked me what I wanted, the nice smiley lady standing there with her scoopy thing at the ready.

Apparently I announced quite confidently that I would like sausage, potatoes, chips and peas, please. Smiley-lady said, with seeming surprise, "you want potatoes AND chips?" I said yes please. She looked over to Mum and said "Is that alright Mom?", who I now know shared the joke and said with a chuckle that it was. We ate there other times too, always the same server, and I was always hello'd as the boy who wants potatoes AND chips! :)

So, if that was your Mum - a round face, happy smile, light brown hair and curls is what I can still picture - she was lovely and I hope is still around so you can see if she remembers.


Another trip in to Henrys was altogether more shameful however and I still blush - have told nobody from that day to this!

I don't know where we had just come from, Lewis's probably. Somewhere however I had spotted some of those long-handled plastic back scratchers with a moulded hand at the business end with fingers bent ready to scratch even the most awkward itch (it said!). So one of those was in my hand as we entered Henrys, which I remember had a few steps-down on to the sales floor once through the corner entrance area. So I was walking down them with Mum on one side and the backscratcher in the other hand, and (this part is always remembered in slow-motion) coming up on her way out was a lady in a tweedy-looking winter coat, a brown beret-type hat and carrying a shopping bag.

And I couldn't help it, I really couldn't! It was way more than an impulse, it was an action that had completely bypassed my brain but as we crossed going in opposite directions on those few steps I cunningly waited a nanosecond more so nothing would be seen and then quickly backhanded my back-scratcher out and around and straight back to my side, hitting her on the bottom, mid-arc! And it was at that point that my brain caught up!

I'd certainly registered what appeared to be a solid enough connection, and assumed she had too so I didn't look back just carried on down the remaining step or two wondering if an annoyed "excuse me!" might be about to turn the day purple! But nothing. Maybe her coat/clothes had absorbed it, or maybe she had felt it but couldn't see who it might have been and certainly not the little boy walking off in to the sales area holding his mummy's hand, or maybe she had looked, figured it out immediately but seen the funny side and chuckled as she stepped outside ...

It was only much later however, when we got off the bus back home to Harborne, that I stopped looking behind me to make sure .. and even then I was expecting to see her waiting for us on the lower deck as we went down the stairs to get off :)


So yes, Henrys. A part of my past and a good place to shop, where you could find almost anything you wanted and a few more beside!
 
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I too have similar memories of my mom taking me to Henrys in the late 50’s early 60’s. The café with bullet peas and milkshakes. I also recall a lot of women almost fighting to buy hats in the sales. It was like a free for all.

I do recall my mom being quite sad at the announcement it was shutting down, she like the place.
 
Morturn said:
I too have similar memories of my mom taking me to Henrys in the late 50’s early 60’s. The café with bullet peas and milkshakes. I also recall a lot of women almost fighting to buy hats in the sales. It was like a free for all.

I do recall my mom being quite sad at the announcement it was shutting down, she like the place.
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I didn't know it had a restaurant, but my memories of it are vague.
 
catmum said:
Does anyone remember Henrys, a shop that was around in the '60s. It was where W.H.Smiths is now. Did anyone on the forum work there? Would love to know more.
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I remember it well. I remember walking through the glass/china section and being told very firmly not to touch anything because if it broke I'd have to pay for it.
 
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catmum said:
Do you remember, if you bought tea sets the assistant would tap each piece, probably with something metal, because the sound would be different if there were any cracked items.
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Can you imagine any shop doing that today!
 
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