Shops of yore

A couple of images of Crescent Avenue in here for you

I had a nest of tables and a three piece suite in 1972 from Waring and Gillows at corner of Hay Lane

I remember Isherwood's from the 70's - delicious pies. There was also a bakers on the corner, think it was called Moores. The large electrical appliances shop called Trident was also there at that time. Wonder if anyone remembers the small supermarket called Midland Grocers on Alfall Road, it was owned by the Bryant family. I worked there in the 70's. We knew a lot of customers by name. One day a customer who lived nearby asked if we would like to go round to her house and watch Princess Anne's wedding on her new colour tv, so we took it in turns to go! Looking at Street View from 2014 I am pleased to see that it is a supermarket once more (Costcutters).

Hi Slim, re Ireland's stationers Smithford Way, I started work there the day after my 15th birthday. A family owned business office equipment, pens Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman, greetings cards, the whole gambit. I will always remember my first customer, "a box of paper clips please", of course I had no idea where they were. I asked Mr Radford the manager saying "this woman wants paper clips, Mr Everton". He whispered "this woman is a lady until we find out otherwise", a lesson I have never forgot. I also met my wife there so Ireland's holds many special memories for us both. The company was owned by the Smith family, although no big pay packets as the car factory lads, it was a great place to learn retail that led my wife and I to buy our own business in Wales. As a postscript the Smithford Way shopkeepers were a nice bunch. I was friends with John Orme, his dad owned the workwear shop. John and I started work at almost the same time. Adams the crockery shop. Ashers material shop who gifted us curtains as a wedding present. A tailor gave me a huge discount on my wedding suit, made to measure, three fittings, I've never had such a good suit since. Such good family run firms. The big boys can't compete on proper service, great times, thank you, A Ireland's stationers.

Hi dots - many memories in your post. I remember well all of the shops you mention, but there's other memories too. You see, for a couple of years we lived with my grandparents - when we all moved to another house, it was Jack Smith and his family who moved in. I remember they had a daughter, Elizabeth. Directly opposite was the Ormes' house - although John, like me, went to KHVIII, we were never particularly close friends. Eventually we had our own home on an adjacent plot, so I knew the Smiths and the Ormes for some years.

Telegraph article on "shops we have lost"

Thanks, mickw. Yes, I did see it but I would love to see Lynes' shop front when it was still trading!

I remember the old style Sainsburys when it used to be on the opposite side of Trinity St, before becoming Halfords. It was a long thin shop, and as young boy, I found it boring being dragged around with my mum. There were separate counters, tills and queues for everything; each purchase had to be paid for separately, so one spent an age in the place. The term "supermarket" had not been heard of. When I was a bit older, everyone was asking "What's this new supermarket they're going to open in Coventry? What is a supermarket?" The shop also had a distinct smell, because nothing was prepacked. Raw meat, fish, butter, cheese etc. was everywhere. Flitches hung from huge steel S-hooks. I daresay the cheese was the biggest contributor to the overall smell, and I hated the place and its smell. My command of the English language was still in its infancy, but I distinctly remember telling my mum "I don't like this shop, this shop stinks!". Mum was quick to castigate me with "You mustn't say that, Sainsburys is a nice shop". Mum remained a loyal customer of Sainsburys all her life, despite the numerous competitive supermarkets in later years.

Telegraph report on Alma Delicatessen closure

There are now some great Polish shops in the city (and some super Chinese supermarkets). The Alma was fantastic, but too expensive. I recall buying stuff there and seeing it in supermarkets for half the price. They were, at one point, the only place to get tins of Illy Espresso coffee.

I remember the earlier shop in the lower precinct (1990s). They sold multi coloured prawn crackers which were a novelty at the children's parties, but after some years they disappeared and I then wondered if the colouring ingredient had been banned. Edited by member, 22nd May 2017 9:56 am

It was always known as the Polish shop. I was a regular in the 70's as it was the only place that sold Eastern European produce which at the time I loved, there was a creamy sweet which I cant remember the name of at the moment which I bought by the bucketload. They also sold soured cream (it never occurred to me to make some myself). My kids also loved the various Polish sausages that they sold. Eventually when other Polish shops opened (including one nearly opposite them) and supermarkets began to stock the same items the Alma could no longer compete

Stephanie Slater died last week or the week before. I thought Mike Sams worked at the laundrette in Moseley Avenue?? My interest stems from the fact that I knew Mike Sams well. We were in the same running club and he lived half a dozen doors away from me. I was still at school but he had a car, so he used to run me down to the club or to races. His car at that time had the gear stick on the steering wheel and a long single seat running the width of the car in the front - no doubt someone on the Forum will know which car I am talking about. He was a good driver. On one occasion we went up to the Morpeth Newcastle Road Race together one New Years Day, a 200 mile round trip. It was night time on the way back and it started to snow very heavily but instead of taking the A1 road back home from Scotch Corner, as most sensible drivers would have done, we returned the same way as we had gone in the morning, over the narrow moorland roads of the Pennines, by then deepening in snow. Despite slipping and slithering in the dark, in the snow, he still drove at speed and rather surprisingly we both got back home in one piece!!!! I always found him pleasant enough in the years that I knew him and still find it hard to believe what a monster he became.