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Great Lister Street second hand shop 1940s?

A

annaj

proper brummie kid
Hi - I'm new to this site, so firstly, hello! Happy to join you. I wonder if anyone could help me please? My grandmother (now 94,sadly with dementia) was trying to recall the shop she and her husband once owned on Great Lister Street. I believe it was in the 40s and or 50s.

Their names were Frank and Lydia Houghton and they had two children Brian and Valerie (my mother - who can't remember the name of the shop either). The shop by all accounts sold everything! I did find an old post on here where somebody mentioned an old shop there that looked like it had a load of dead animal/fur coats outside. Mom laughed and said that sounded like the shop! Does anyone remember the nam of the shop and my grandparents? I believe my nan was a character back in the day, often wheeling her trolly down to the rag market where she also had a stall.

My nan's short-term memory is not great but often she will pull out such a clear memory from decades ago. when I mentioned Great Lister street she also mentioned an Eve's sweet shop with some great hand-made rock and something like home and colonial? I jotted it down and just wondered if some of her memory served her right? Did those shops exist?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. This is a fantastic site and resource :)
 
havent found the shop yet but in 1955 frank and lydia houghton were living 22 reginald rd. saltley
 
in 1945 they were living 1 back 88 great lister st. then in 1950 at 2 back 187 francis st.
 
Thanks - that sounds like them! My mother says they were always moving. So I am guessing they had the shop around 1945 - though I think they had lived on Great Lister Street (or certainly the area) for a while as they wed at St Matthews. We are in touch with my mother's cousin who may remember the shop name. Somewhere in the mix they worked at Cross'? and Lucas factories. I gather Frank was in the home guard for Lucas factory - I have asked my mother to dig out his medal.
 
Morning annaj,
The only second hand shop I can remember on Bloomsbury St. was opposite the police station, a double fronted shop, and my mother once bought a chinese vase there for half a crown (2/6),
we always thought it was genuine, but we took it to the Antiques Roadshow a couple of years ago, and it was a fake,still a nice vase though.
I always went into Eaves for coconut icing and troach.
Go onto the Birnmingham Lives website and type Bloomsbury Street in the search box, theres loads of photos.
Regards John.
 
Thanks everyone. I will look at those sites. My mother recalls living in the back of the shop on Great Lister Street. She said the shop was on the front and they live on the back. I will try to find out more from a relative (hopefully on Thursday) and see if we have any more information. Thanks
 
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