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Lewis's Department Store

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kandor
  • Start date Start date
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
 
lento said:
The Polish lady do know her name was it Bashir Mastarlecz in English Bashir is Barbara
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I certainly remember visiting most of the counters on a Saturday with my mum. It was certainly the best store to visit. How I miss those wonderful days of going into my favorite store. I know times have to change, but it would have been so lovely to have kept Lewis's as it was, just as a reminder as to how a store should be. Yes, from the outside, it still looks the same, but it is what was on the inside that made Lewis's so, so special. I can remember working in Woolworths in the old bull ring, but Lewis's was the place to go to.
 
michaelwicks54 said:
I certainly remember visiting most of the counters on a Saturday with my mum. It was certainly the best store to visit. How I miss those wonderful days of going into my favorite store. I know times have to change, but it would have been so lovely to have kept Lewis's as it was, just as a reminder as to how a store should be. Yes, from the outside, it still looks the same, but it is what was on the inside that made Lewis's so, so special. I can remember working in Woolworths in the old bull ring, but Lewis's was the place to go to.
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Yes another great place with its own atmospher Woolies
 
michaelwicks54 said:
I certainly remember visiting most of the counters on a Saturday with my mum. It was certainly the best store to visit. How I miss those wonderful days of going into my favorite store. I know times have to change, but it would have been so lovely to have kept Lewis's as it was, just as a reminder as to how a store should be. Yes, from the outside, it still looks the same, but it is what was on the inside that made Lewis's so, so special. I can remember working in Woolworths in the old bull ring, but Lewis's was the place to go to.
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My Mum and I were always visiting Lewis's to buy fabrics for dressmaking. A whole floor full of textile delights to wander through. Often followed by a visit to Kings Hall Market or Greys to see what fabrics they had to offer. Then there were the fashion shows at Lewis's which always ended with a bride and groom.

I had a temporary Sale job there one year on the vests and coms counter. My Mum would buy her corsets there!

We always laughed about being swept into the main doors of the store whether you wanted to or not because there were so many people on the crossings outside.
 
Tinpot said:
My Mum and I were always visiting Lewis's to buy fabrics for dressmaking. A whole floor full of textile delights to wander through. Often followed by a visit to Kings Hall Market or Greys to see what fabrics they had to offer. Then there were the fashion shows at Lewis's which always ended with a bride and groom.

I had a temporary Sale job there one year on the vests and coms counter. My Mum would buy her corsets there!

We always laughed about being swept into the main doors of the store whether you wanted to or not because there were so many people on the crossings
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Tinpot said:
My Mum and I were always visiting Lewis's to buy fabrics for dressmaking. A whole floor full of textile delights to wander through. Often followed by a visit to Kings Hall Market or Greys to see what fabrics they had to offer. Then there were the fashion shows at Lewis's which always ended with a bride and groom.

I had a temporary Sale job there one year on the vests and coms counter. My Mum would buy her corsets there!

We always laughed about being swept into the main doors of the store whether you wanted to or not because there were so many people on the crossings outside.
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I agree Tinpot. Lewis's was always busy & it was so easy to be taken into Lewis's by the crowd of people, but was always a pleasure to have this happen. Why we can not have our old Lewis's back a it was has often crossed my mind. Maybe one day, it will change back, but sadly, I will not be around to see it.
 
What a pity Brum has changed it was always better when it was a busy place instead of no character like now any body remember the big bomb money box in the bull ring market had no roof on due to the war going down from times furnishers was fairly steep with all the barrows at the bottom got the midland red to Stratford to our caravan
 
lento said:
Michaelwicks born bred Aston what about smells when it was going to rain Ansell's HP sauce lovely that's when we new It was going to rain
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I used to wag it from school just to go & work at both Ansells brewery & H.P sauce helping to load the lorries. Really loved the aroma coming from both together. These were my happiest school time memories as it was something I enjoyed. Sadly, both do not exist any more apart from in our memories.
 
Maria Magenta said:
I do wish I could remember the roof garden - and the lifts!

I remember the Corocraft (jewellery) counter, and the strange way you never quite knew what you were going to find around the next corner , or that's how it seemed to me. It was almost magical the way bits of the building linked up.
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hi maria the lifts on the food hall were on the left side as you went down from the bread counter with a clock in the middle so you could see the time from either side tthe coloured lights on it were for signalling for managers and store detectives the gates were like a trellis the lifts in A block were enclosed there were 4 there and 5 in b block maybe the roof wasnt open in later years but it was lovely to look over brum on sunny day
 
michaelwicks54 said:
I agree Tinpot. Lewis's was always busy & it was so easy to be taken into Lewis's by the crowd of people, but was always a pleasure to have this happen. Why we can not have our old Lewis's back a it was has often crossed my mind. Maybe one day, it will change back, but sadly, I will not be around to see it.
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tinpot you stirred up some names as I trapsed round with my mother kings hall market ,behive bell nicholson ,other drapers but a few might have bumped into you with out knowing haha
 
lento said:
hi maria the lifts on the food hall were on the left side as you went down from the bread counter with a clock in the middle so you could see the time from either side tthe coloured lights on it were for signalling for managers and store detectives the gates were like a trellis the lifts in A block were enclosed there were 4 there and 5 in b block maybe the roof wasnt open in later years but it was lovely to look over brum on sunny day
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When I was working there in around 1959 the "A" block lifts gates were lattice not quite the same a "B" block but never the less Lattice / Trellis as you put it, I believe they were modernised and enclosed at a later date.
 
I notice no mirrors to view yourself wearing potential coat and hat purchases. The coat and hat department doesn’t look quite as sophisticated as Rackhams or even Greys. All looks a bit more functional. And the way the coats are piled up - well, I sense a bit of a frenzied free for all to be honest.

That’s jogged my memory about the marble walls lining the staircases, the brass rails along the bannisters and the bronze-coloured gates on the lifts. Remember those sliding into place and ‘clicking’ shut. And I remember the picture frame type adverts on the walls next to the lifts.

Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
I notice no mirrors to view yourself wearing potential coat and hat purchases. The coat and hat department doesn’t look quite as sophisticated as Rackhams or even Greys. All looks a bit more functional. And the way the coats are piled up - well, I sense a bit of a frenzied free for all to be honest.

That’s jogged my memory about the marble walls lining the staircases, the brass rails along the bannisters and the bronze-coloured gates on the lifts. Remember those sliding into place and ‘clicking’ shut. And I remember the picture frame type adverts on the walls next to the lifts.

Viv.
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Fabulous! All those people wearing hats...and the tea urn was a nice touch, very thoughtful.
The lifts jogged my memory as well.
 
Vivienne14 said:
I notice no mirrors to view yourself wearing potential coat and hat purchases. The coat and hat department doesn’t look quite as sophisticated as Rackhams or even Greys. All looks a bit more functional. And the way the coats are piled up - well, I sense a bit of a frenzied free for all to be honest.

That’s jogged my memory about the marble walls lining the staircases, the brass rails along the bannisters and the bronze-coloured gates on the lifts. Remember those sliding into place and ‘clicking’ shut. And I remember the picture frame type adverts on the walls next to the lifts.

Viv.
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The staircases are one of my memories of Lewis's. It was queuing to go and see Father Christmas when the queue was outside in Corporation St and all the way up the numerous flights. I found the film quite moving looking at the people who were there, how they behaved and how they were dressed. It seemed so much gentler than pictures we see of sales these days.
 
Tinpot said:
The staircases are one of my memories of Lewis's. It was queuing to go and see Father Christmas when the queue was outside in Corporation St and all the way up the numerous flights. I found the film quite moving looking at the people who were there, how they behaved and how they were dressed. It seemed so much gentler than pictures we see of sales these days.
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It was a gentler age, there was respect for children, for the elderly. The anger that seems to lurk within so many these days did not show itself, even the drunks were happy drunks, do you remember you could always rely on getting on a bus and having a singing drunk upstairs, usually having trouble lighting his cigarette (like that old comedian, somebody will remember his name) and all that would happen is that no one would sit by him.

Bob
 
Bob Davis said:
It was a gentler age, there was respect for children, for the elderly. The anger that seems to lurk within so many these days did not show itself, even the drunks were happy drunks, do you remember you could always rely on getting on a bus and having a singing drunk upstairs, usually having trouble lighting his cigarette (like that old comedian, somebody will remember his name) and all that would happen is that no one would sit by him.

Bob
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Bob were you thinking of Freddie Frinton?
 
The Lewis's film, was wonderful, yes memories of Father Christmas, the very posh restaurant, the polite but firm, (Floor Walkers), guiding and helping, everyone. As has already been said, when viewing the clip, what sticks out most, Manners, kindness, in many ways bred into us of a certain age. Not a lot of money about, so you saved for your treats, and went to these monumental establishments to feel special.
 
jmadone said:
Bob were you thinking of Freddie Frinton?
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www.imdb.com

Freddie Frinton - Biography - IMDb

Freddie Frinton. Actor: Dinner for One. Freddie Frinton was born on 17 January 1909 in Grimsby, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Dinner for One (1963), Comedy Playhouse (1961) and Thicker Than Water (1968). He was married to Nora Gratton and Maisie Basil. He died on 16 October...
www.imdb.com www.imdb.com
 
Amazing footage OM. Can’t say I’d have let my kids cuddle a chimp ! Nor sit on Father Christmas’s lap. But hey, it was another era. Viv.
 
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