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Lewis's Department Store

Vivienne14 said:
Miss Selfridge started up in 1966 in London, then in 1967 spread around the country. They were concessions located within department stores. They later opened up some independent high street shops too. I remember both the Oxford Street concession and the Lewis's store ones well. Although aimed at teenagers, their prices were a bit higher than other clothes shops. But the designs were good. Seem to remember the Lewis's store painted quite dark inside, like many of the high street boutiques of the time. In fact I guess it was trying to be a distinct boutique within a departmental store to attract younger shoppers. For Lewis's at the time it must have been quite a brave move as their other departments were pretty traditional. I expect the 'Selfridge' name was the aspect that appealed to them. Viv.


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Selfridges in London belonged to Lewis's. Lewis's central buying was situated alongside Sefridges store in Duke Street.
 
calcbird said:
Selfridges in London belonged to Lewis's. Lewis's central buying was situated alongside Sefridges store in Duke Street.
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Are you sure?

I thought there were only two Lewis's stores - Birmingham and Manchester.
Selfridges was started by a Mr Selfridge I believe, I doubt it was owned by Lewis's
 
A Sparks said:
Are you sure?

I thought there were only two Lewis's stores - Birmingham and Manchester.
Selfridges was started by a Mr Selfridge I believe, I doubt it was owned by Lewis's
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I don't know who owned Selfridges, but I do know for certain there was more than 2 Lewis's department stores. I have shopped in The Liverpool Store on Lime Street and I have also shopped at the one on The Haymarket Bristol. I'm sure that there were more in other towns that I never noticed.
 
According to Wikipedia Selfridges was started by Harry Selfridge in 1909 but in the 1940s smaller provincial stores were sold to John Lewis who acquired the London store in 1951. Both were then taken over by Sears in the 1960s.

Janice
 
Phil
Lewis's bought Selfridges in 1951. am not sure when they sold it off. According to Asa Briggs book, "Friends of the people", they had stores under the Lewis name at Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham & Sheffield, Leeds, Leicester, Hanley (as McIlroys), Glasgow (John Andersons), & Bristol, and i am sure I can remember a store in Oxford, possibly built after Briggs' book.
 
Janice.
Lewis's were separate from the London-based firm of John Lewis, which is still in existence as a very succesfull semi-cooperative venture
 
mikejee said:
Phil
Lewis's bought Selfridges in 1951. am not sure when they sold it off. According to Asa Briggs book, "Friends of the people", they had stores under the Lewis name at Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham & Sheffield, Leeds, Leicester, Hanley (as McIlroys), Glasgow (John Andersons), & Bristol, and i am sure I can remember a store in Oxford, possibly built after Briggs' book.
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Also Blackpool.
 
I know that Birmingham's Lewis's opened a Miss Selfridges department in 1967 as is demonstrated by this photo of the new salesgirls that they employed to run it.
 

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I went to the Liverpool one (now closed) several years ago. They had the same handrails (what do you call banisters if they're made of metal?) up the stairs as the Birmingham one.

maria
 
Maria Magenta said:
I went to the Liverpool one (now closed) several years ago. They had the same handrails (what do you call banisters if they're made of metal?) up the stairs as the Birmingham one.

maria
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Maria

I have to say that of the three stores I visited how very similar I thought they were to each other.
 
3 new photos folks and just in time for christmas...shame we will never see these scenes again...

pics 1 and 2 dated 1964
pic 3 dated 1957

lyn
 

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Never liked the big guy close up, all that ho, ho, hoing put me off so my mum didn't take me. But was happy to see F C as long as it was at a distance. Viv.
 
I didn't mind Father Christmas and Mr Holly but got scared with all the crush of people on the stairs.

Janice
 
I can still see in my minds eye, that steep high slightly dark stair case up to "Lewis's", Father Christmas's Grotto, it was a posh place for us and me and my sister Marilyn were overawed, and slightly scared, we only went the once about 1955/6. When we got up it was like a wonder world to us. Paul
 
paul stacey said:
I can still see in my minds eye, that steep high slightly dark stair case up to "Lewis's", Father Christmas's Grotto, it was a posh place for us and me and my sister Marilyn were overawed, and slightly scared, we only went the once about 1955/6. When we got up it was like a wonder world to us. Paul
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If only I could remember it, because I know I was taken there.
 
Just had that glimpse in the back of my mind of going to see Santa at Lewis's around the end of the war or there abouts. To get to the grotto we had to go into a spaceship and sit on a hard wooden seat for a couple of minuets, we were then told we had flown to the North Pole. There was a bit of a humming noise and cylinder gave a bit of a shudder.
Even as a youngster I felt that it was a bit of a con job, but went along with it to get the present from Santa.
 
Certainly remember queuing on the stairs at Lewis's to see Father Christmas. I was told that he was the "real one" and that the one who appeared at the school Christmas party was just a helper. Also remember queuing at Lewis's at around 1955/6 to see Fess Parker who played Davy Crockett in the film "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier". Dave
 
Hopefully those who successfully reached the top of the stairs got one of these for their efforts. Viv.

image.jpg
 
Mr. Holly was definitely at Lewis'. No one has mentioned the lovely Christmas scenes that were in all the windows on the ground floor, even if you were not going to see Father Christmas they were wonderful to see.
 
davidfowler said:
Here are 4 pages taken from an old Lewis's magazine my uncle had (he was restaurant manager there for several years)


In the Retired Staff Members photo, the man with glasses standing in the back row 2nd from the right is Mr FRENCH House Stationery Manager, if you requested 6 rolls of cellotape he would let you have 3, and so on with bags, paper and string.I always went away muttering anyone would think he paid for this stuff himself. The man sitting at the corner of the table in the dark suit between the 2 ladies is Mr HARRY FIELDS House Superintendent, in charge of the porters, cleaners and lift attendants, very nice chap.

Lewis_s267_28927_x_125029.jpg


Lewis_s266_28874_x_125029.jpg


Lewis_s265_28852_x_125029.jpg


Lewis_s264_28873_x_125029.jpg
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When i was a lad like a a good many other youngsters i used to have a paper round.

Just before Christmas it was traditional to knock the door and wish the customer seasons greetings

hoping for a tip, bloody nerve i say.

Anyway, at one of the houses on my round who should open the door but Mr Holly from Lewis's.

I was so taken aback i actually remember saying you look like Mr Holly from Lewis's, and he replied

yes son that was me. He also gave me a very good tip i recall...
 
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mw0njm said:
lewis's what a great store.i loved the moving stairs and the lifts,with the man telling you what floor you was coming up to,The model trains in the toy dept,and best of all the free samples of food,down in the food hall.
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May 1939...Evening Despatch
 
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