Recommended Posts

Erics always had a glittering display of dancing shoes in the front window. Silver, sparkling ballroom shoes. Oh, how I coveted some of those as a child. No chance. My chosen dance form was ballet, so black practice shoes, pink satin examination shoes and heavier duty shoes for national and character dance came from The Sign Of Four. They were expensive! My mother wasn't buying silver lurex ballroom shoes as well.

 

During teenage years, I graduated to pink, satin pointe shoes or blocks, as they were known.  Made singly, not in pairs, they moulded to the individual foot and, when new, we marked them L and R on the sole! Ye gods, was that painful to start with. Toes bled. Sticking your bleeding feet in a bowl of surgical spirit was the recommended way to harden them off. Ballet is not for wimps.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 433
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

Eric’s shoe shop was next door to Flints newsagents which was owned by my wife’s grandparents. The shops here did very well as they got a lot of footfall from Players factories.

Indeed. A much better looking building than the 60s monstrosity which replaced it.

Looking at those photos of Maid Marion Way brought back memories of Brentford Nylons. Whilst searching through some drawers recently I came across some of their products. Several sheets, pillow cases

Was one of the shoe shops in town called Bally? I used to love their shoes but they always seemed a bit more expensive than other shops.

Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

they all seemed better than Clays,  Erics and the sensible clodhopping shoes of my childhood! "

 

2 hours ago, Brew said:

First time I've heard Erics mentioned in years, it was a relatives shop yet I never went in or bought shoes from there.

 

Never heard of Erics before.

 

Who/what/where were they ?

Link to post
Share on other sites

The one I knew was on the corner of Alfreton Road/Hartley Road, opposite Bentinck School and in the same block as Flints Sweetshop.  I think there may have been others elsewhere. They were a shoe shop. If memory serves me correctly, green fascia with E R I C S in reddish lettering. They were there for many years.

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/8/2012 at 12:13 PM, jackson said:

Hi Mick, I'm back to the late 50's / early 60's: on one corner was Eric's, opposite was the church, opposite that was the school (Bentinck?) and opposite that was the Alma pub. :smile:

 

On 4/8/2012 at 7:36 PM, Paulus said:

Hi Jackson, you were absolutely spot on with location of Erics, I recall passing on the bus from school to Aspley, down Alfreton Road, & alighting one afternoon tpo meet me mam & gran to get some school, shoes from there, September 1964.......................but I can't recall what I had for dinner last week............

 

On 4/8/2012 at 9:27 PM, denshaw said:

I remember Eric's a bit later. The shop was a new one near the Windmill pub opposite Forest road.

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I believe Eric's and Clays both had a lot of seconds. The shoes dad bought for my sister and myself were something like Clarke's seconds. They were good quality and lasted a long time, especially when he'd put segs in the soles and heels!  They lasted too long for my sister who complained that she sounded like a cart horse walking along the pavement. I didn't mind. Did a bit of tap dancing in mine!

 

Dad had a thing about shoes. They had to be good quality, a good fit and well cared for. As children, he was always polishing his own shoes and ours! Something to do with being in the forces, I think.

 

Every so often, he'd take my sister and I off to buy new shoes. As we walked there, my sister would say, "Dad.....?" with a sort of wheedling intonation.

 

The answer would be immediate, "No!"  :Shock::P

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

The best sellers were shoes he went to the factory and bought direct. Every Wednesday (sometimes twice in a week) he travelled to Northampton in his Morris Oxford Estate and loaded it to the gunnels with boxes of shoes, no idea if they were seconds or not but  were very popular so I'm told.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Eric’s shoe shop was next door to Flints newsagents which was owned by my wife’s grandparents. The shops here did very well as they got a lot of footfall from Players factories.
F079299-F-5455-4-C4-A-B8-B1-8-E59754-AA7

  • Like 5
Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/13/2021 at 1:06 PM, katyjay said:

Was one of the shoe shops in town called Bally? I used to love their shoes but they always seemed a bit more expensive than other shops.

Bally had a shop on the corner of High Street and Victoria Street. They were nice shoes but a bit "continental" for my taste. I'm a Tricker's - built like Northampton battleships - wearer.

Link to post
Share on other sites
17 hours ago, bamber said:

Bally had a shop on the corner of High Street and Victoria Street. They were nice shoes but a bit "continental" for my taste. I'm a Tricker's - built like Northampton battleships - wearer.

The shoes I wore for my wedding were made by Bally.  I bought them in a sale because I don't think I would have been able to afford them otherwise as I seem to remember they were quite an expensive brand. I have a vague recollection that I bought them from Jessops.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 9 months later...
  • 4 months later...
14 minutes ago, benjamin1945 said:

........was engaged to 'Trina'' who worked in the one in Town........

 

Why does that not surprise me ?

 

Would that be the shop which was on Long Row, almost next door to Griffin & Spalding ?

 

Very old thread on the subject.   

https://nottstalgia.com/forums/topic/4910-lyons-tea-house/?tab=comments#comment-56036

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes...it was on Long Row........Trina also worked in some other shops on Long Row...........plus a Posh Fur shop'' round the corner on 'King street'' or was it Queen st?  corner of 'Greyhound st''......can't recall the name of the 'Fur shop'' right posh it was........

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Cliff ton.........thats the shop.....different name in the 60s

Double barrelled...i seem to recall........

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

Quoting from another thread about Wollaton Street..........

5 hours ago, RadFordee said:

 but didn't the shop on the end of that stretch next door to the stamp shop used to be Pearts bakery shop in the 80's? .

 

I'd forgotten about Pearts, another vanished name. It seems they were based in Derby, and in the late 90s were taken over by Chaucer Foods, who are also in Derby.

 

No doubt Ben will be along to tell us he once went out with someone from Pearts.

Link to post
Share on other sites

@Cliff Tonthanks for the info. I didn't know Pearts were a Derby company either, as are Birds bakery who's shops are still numerous in the Derby area, and always very busy. Are they still the same in Nottingham? 

As an aside, are there any bakeries left in Nottingham at all? The names i remember were Turners, Landers, Morleys and Judges.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...