Old department store - Farmers

[Marilyn Gough 0]

Can anyone remember a lovely little department store between The Flying Horse and Marks and Spencer? I think it was Farmers.

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

Welcome Marilyn Gough!

 

I remember Farmers very well. One of our members worked there. There were some posts about it recently.

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

The Nottstalgian who used to work at Farmer's is BilboroughShirley.  I'm sure she'll be along soon to confirm it. The subject has been mentioned before in several threads, and at least one of them includes this photo.

 

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

Great photo, CT. They had such a range of fabrics. There's nowhere comparable today.

[Guest]

Reminds me of the time i went into the drapery dept and asked if i could get felt in there....lady blushed and said " try Forest rd."

[FLY2 10,108]

That's an old one Ian........ Early 60's radio, but I'm at a loss to know who said it. 

[BilboroughShirley 1,120]

Another great photo of Farmers.  I loved working there.  In the paper patterns department, above the racks of drawers where patterns were stored was a display of two dress forms.  The large one was on display with the box beside it and there was a smaller one in its box.  I went up to the department one time and the large dress form was there but the box was gone.  I asked where the box was and was told that one of the assistants had sold it!  No folded up model inside!  An empty box!  Nobody came back to complain about being sold an empty box so we decided that it must have been wrapped up and posted to someone as a present without looking inside.

#3  Ian, you mention a scandal.  Did someone in your family buy the box?

 

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

Since the Farmers building was demolished, the replacement constantly changes hands. No-one stays there for more than a few months. At the moment it's empty again.

[FLY2 10,108]

It's amazing really Cliff, because it's certainly in a prime location.

[TBI 2,351]

It's not actually a prime location though. That side of Slab Square is a retail dearth, the other not much better. Who'd stop to shop in that carbuncle anyway?

[BilboroughShirley 1,120]

When I worked there between 1969 and 1971 the shop was always busy, as was Exchange Walk. At that time there were lots of good small shops in the surrounding area.  Times and shopping trends have changed.  Farmers closed in 1972 and most of the staff transferred to the new Scan Superstore shop at the far end of the Victoria Centre.  The Farmers building was very old.  The upper floors were in need of serious renovation. I remember being sent up to the room where all the display things were stored and I was shocked at the state of it.

[loppylugs 8,429]

#11. Maybe its haunted?  

[mick2me 3,033]

The Vandal Architects of Nottingham strike again!

[BilboroughShirley 1,120]

#7  This is a great photo and having read the posts here I felt inspired to record some memories.  There are lots of memories so I will post them as chunks.

 

Part 1

Farmers shop in Nottingham 1969 to 1971.

When standing by the Council House the main entrance to Farmers was the double glass doors opposite.  Above these on the first floor the large windows were in the coats department.  To the left of the main entrance was a smaller door that led into the linens department.  Above this the windows are in the upstairs underwear and nightwear department. Exchange walk was to the right of the building where there were three more entrances for customers and the staff entrance. The first led into the main shop downstairs, beside racks of curtain materials.  I was told that on one occasion a shop lifter came in through that door, picked up a roll of curtain material and ran out with it.  They were not caught.  Further down Exchange Walk was the door leading into the downstairs underwear department and the entrance to the children’s department.  These had once been small separate shops and they had been taken over by Farmers.  Also in Exchange Walk there was a staff entrance where we clocked in each morning and afternoon and an entrance to the stock rooms that were up two flights of stairs.    

Entering through the main doors, to the right was the entrance to the haberdashery department and straight ahead were two counters facing each other.  The counter on the right had the “fancy” goods, gloves scarves and other accessories.  These were laid out on the counter in sections divided up using glass.  This was the first counter I worked on.  On the counter facing us was where the nylon stockings were sold. These were all laid out on the counter.  Behind this were racks of rolls of cotton and silk material.  This was sold by the yard and staff had to be trained to do this.  I never worked on the cottons, silks or curtain material counters as I was temporary staff and filled in where needed in all other departments.   The counters for cutting the material were across the far side of the shop and down the left hand side as you viewed from the main doors.  I think some of the staff trained to sell material by the yard transferred to Griffin and Spalding when Farmers closed and moved to the new Scan shop.  In the far corner of the room was the door leading to the porter/caretaker’s room.  There were two porters who were always cheerful and friendly.  One of them was called Gilbert and he often had a good laugh with us.  Sadly he was taken ill with a heart attack (I think it was summer 1970) and he died.  We were so upset.  We were allowed to purchase goods with staff discount at certain times of the day and these would be kept in the porters room for us to collect at the end of the day.  Mr Bettinson (I hope this spelling is correct) was manager of the linens department.  He was a very nice man and in quiet moments he would ask how my exams were going. The towels they sold in his department were lovely.  One day a lady came in and asked for some “nylon under slips” and I carefully directed her to the downstairs underwear department.  She came back a few minutes later laughing.  She had meant nylon pillowcases to put on under the main pillowcase!  I had some good laughs with lots of very nice customers.

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

And another photo, this time from 1944.

[katyjay 5,091]

Never seen that one before, smashing.

[carni 10,094]

Great picture CliffTon. I was wondering what the ghostly image in the middle of the road is. Any ideas?

[katyjay 5,091]

Don't know Carni, but the bloke with his mac, is looking at it anall.

[loppylugs 8,429]

Looks like an escaped shopping cart.  . But I don't think they had them back then.

[carni 10,094]

There was something similar in another thread a while ago. No idea which one, but the picture was a horse and cart, if I remember rightly; the horse appeared to have six legs, and there were phantom people on the pavements. Something to do with cameras and shutters/speed? I think!

[crankypig 457]

Carni

  Yes old cameras did used to sometimes put one image on top of another if you forgot to wind the film on.

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

2 hours ago, carni said:

 I was wondering what the ghostly image in the middle of the road is. Any ideas?

 

Almost certainly just someone crossing the road. In those blurry examples, the photographer would've been using a fairly lengthy exposure (especially in Victorian times) so anyone in the shot will have moved quite a distance whilst the shutter was open.

[Mess 618]

No, I agree with loppylugs it's a Tesco shopping trolley

IIRC you only had to put a farthing in the slot to release it

[benjamin1945 16,160]

Or even a Groat...........lol

[carni 10,094]

Well, I think it's an Elephant?