woolworths

Black Cat Coffee Bar – 1970’s

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photo 1 supplied by Bertie Wiseman, photo 2 supplied by Terry Huggins

Anyone remember The Black Cat Coffee Bar? Entrance in York Buildings.Here’s Steve Demetri & Paul Wiseman sitting at the window of the upstairs coffee bar. You can see Woolworths over the far side of the road. You can see the Mac Fisheries sign and also Mozley’s sign.

Yvonne Cleland… Ha! The window seat! Practically lived in this place when the Lido closed! Llonka. 1 and 6 to get in with a free drink! Table footie. Look one way – see what was going on in the cafe, look the other way – see what was going on in the town!

Alan Esdaile… I also lived in the window seat when I was not playing the pinball machine.

Martin Richter… and the “mac-fisheries” sign!

Andre Martin… Over MacFisheries

Martyn Baker…  Chatte Noi

Mick Mepham… Was that the same place as the Pam Dor anyone?

Yvonne Cleland… No, Mick, the Pam Dor was in Queen’s Road. The Black Cat’s entrance was in that funny little back street that divides up the Arcade. (Not that I’m old enough to have gone in the Pam Dor but I seem to remember it being there.)

Alan Esdaile… The Pam Dor was over the road from The Disc Jockey .

Andre Martin… The PamDor did start in York Buildings, where the MacFisheries was located, I think it was where the the Chemists shop was, but it might have been in the same location at the Black Cat – must double check listings. the site in Queens road opened in 1961. Location correction – NOT Castle Street, but York Buildings, the no was either 6 Mac Fisheries or 8 which I think did become a Goldern Egg at some point.

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What was the wonder of Woolworths for you?

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Hastings 2007 photo source: http://www.emilyandjames.co.uk/Galleries/Woolworths/Woolworthsphotos.html

https://www.facebook.com/SilverSurfers50/videos/1105923316095058/

Lesley Bowles… The record department

Peter Thomson… My first regular (Saturday) employment. With the Manager’s authority, plugging the bare cables of the display amps into a single socket, after jamming a pencil into the ‘earth’. This was after closing time and nobody died.

Jackie Hutt… Loved the broken biscuits…. My mum used to work on that counter.

Wendy Weaver… My first job, during the summer holidays when I was 14 in the Bournemouth Branch.

Mick Knights… I found an LP in the bargain section called The great American Eagle tragedy for 50p which I sold on ebay for £25.

Sue James… We used to love the bottles of raisin wine and the ginger wine at christmas

Tony Davis… I used to love the hot salted peanut machine they had. I also seem to remember that at one stage there was cafe in the Hastings one.. Talking about Woolies has also reminded me when in the same stretch or road were Sainsburys and Joe Lyons cafe. Sainsburys was all wood and marble and Lyons used to serve mashed potatoes with an ice cream scoop. Great memories!

Andrew Freeman… The smell of Woolies was completely unique.

Roger Dando… Airfix two Bob kits – obviously ! !

Jan Warren… It was just the store, it was where (and I guess many others) used to hang out on a Saturday, it was part of our Saturday!! – I was devastated when they closed all the shops, it was the end of an era!! 🙁 🙁 🙁

Peter Fairless… Louise in the record dept. Am I allowed to say that?

Paul Dove… worked there as a 15 year old Sat boy, bloody long time ago…

Alan Esdaile… Yes your right Tony. I remember a cafe where the record dept was in Woolies. Also remember Sainsburys and Lyons. Don’t forget the wonderful Dimarco’s cafe next door and also the tiny Tesco.

Dave Nattress… I lived in Bexhill where we had a good enough woolies. But I think I’m right in saying Hastings had the attraction of an escalator – when I was rather younger. Actually in latter years both Hastings and Bexhill had a period where they were selling some really good music DVD’s – bought quite a few. The records and later CD selections on offer were pretty good also. Overall though, the selection of merchandise available was great – they did most things.

Joe Knight… Demarco old fashioned but great food.

Tim Moose Bruce… The tiny Tesco was a large store in comparison with other shops when I first went there with my mum back in 1969 .

Joe Knight… That’s the shop you could always find something for everyone at Christmas

Terry Har…. Spent most of my pocket money in Woolworth Tolworth Surrey and as a teenager chasing the girls who worked there.(and sometimes catching them lol)

Peter Thomson… There was also a tiny Woolies in Kings Rd, St Leonards until the early 70s, at least.

Alan Wood… The escalator

Leigh Wieland-Boys… Record department

Dennis Torrance… Some great pictures there happy memories

Mike Wright… Embassy Records

Woolworths escalator – Was this your first escalator?

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supplied by Leigh Kennedy

Sandie Carlyon… Worked there when I was 15. Used to love this. Bit of a novelty.

Heather Sidery… Yes

Christine Pachner… Selfridges in Oxford Street

Alan Esdaile… walking down was fun, until your got thrown out!

Colin Bell… You too! did it regularly on Saturdays.

Jim Peckham… The Woolworths we had in our town never had an upstairs

Paul Cullen… Worked in the warehouse in the late 60s and met my first wife Gill there

Phil Gill… I saw Tich Turner on it once.

Gerry Fortsch… Good name for a band

Pete Houghton… I remember this

John Mcewen… Yep!

Jon McCallion… Remember it well

Peter Brazier… Yes

Gerry Fortsch… The steps going down were not so much fun, I remember seeing an elderly lady falling down them when I was a kid.

Jeremy Harrison… yes- I remember they were quite awkward.

Alan Wood… Oh yes, loved it

Sheila Maile… Yes. I fell down it

Yvonne Cleland… Loved playing on this escalator! x

John Beeching… My dad and I got threatened with being thrown out for running from top to bottom and the riding back up. He was well into his 40s at the time.

Nigel Ford… probably , and the lift in Wards probably my first lift. Manned inside and summoned by staff both top and bottom, who then opened the safety lattice door when it arrived.

Dave Nattress… Definitely – as a kid if she was shopping in Hastings (we lived in Bexhill), I had to moan to my Mother to allow me to use it several times. The toy department was there in later years of course and lots of household stuff but I cannot remember the attraction upstairs when I was young. Logically it was toys but in a way, no it was definitely the escalator.

Tracy Birrell… Yes and used to walk down it.

Peter Fairless… Biscuits and pick’n’mix

Tony Davis… Yes

Paul Cullen… I sometimes sat in the cafeteria and watched people shopping, especially the ones buying bags of broken biscuits

Jacquie Hinves… Oh my goodness. I remember that escalator so well! I can remember mum taking us up the escalator to the top floor. Only problem was there was no escalator down!! You had to walk down the stairs the opposite side of the shop! Xx

Gaynor Lewry… Yes I can remember that too!!

 

Shops Glorious Shops – Woolworths and more – Tony May’s Christmas Blog

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photo Hastings – Tony May 2008

Tony May… It’s amazing how life in lockdown effects different people in different ways. I am lucky in many respects to be living with two other people – so I am never on my own for very long – but even then I feel ‘cut off’ from society.

Continues here…

https://tmchristmas.blogspot.com/2020/11/shops-glorious-shops.html

Woolworths At Christmas

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supplied by www.weathersheep.com – photo of Woolworths Camberwell London SE5

Andre Martin….Oh were they not just great at Christmas – sadly missed

Alan Esdaile….Do you remember the separate oblong counters with the assistant in the middle? Always a great Christmas display. I can remember wanting a Beatles wig but my parents were shocked by the idea. I probably ended up with lego or mechano.

Redstar Richter….woollies tried to turn Tesco over – so Tesco buried them!

Mick O’Dowd….When does their sale start! If only!

Mick Knights…. I once bought an LP in their bargin bucket for 50p It was called The Great American Eagle Tragedy, which I only played once, but sold on Ebay a couple of years ago for £35.0 still with its Wollies 50p price sticker!!!!

Pete Fairless….Woolies Hasting branch Record Department had an ‘interesting’ pricing policy!

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supplied by David St John

Alan Esdaile….I’ve just noticed at the bottom of the advert, Embassy sounds like the Beatles albums! Do you remember those terrible Top Of The Pops cover version albums, really bad but the sleeves were interesting