Pearson Brothers

[misswright 0]

Henry Farmers was amalgamated with pearsons. Music , pianos etc were sold on the ground floor on long row and the record dept was above it. I worked in the record dept from 1973 to 76, then 2years in the gift dept. Many happy memories :-) and a great way to start my working life. Reading this thread has made the memories flood back. Such a shame there's little evidence of it now.

[poohbear 1,360]

On 1/27/2013 at 0:06 PM, Trevor S said:

However, if their premises extended up to Parliament Street and Hurts Yard remained; did the Fox and Owl Inn get demolished and the large glass facade of Pearsons Bros on Parliament Street take its place????

Trev....The Fox has never moved..Pearsons was built around it,their big display window was next to it on Parliament Street.Hurts Yard Runs down the other side of the pub,and I remember going down there and into a side door at the back of the pub which led into Pearsons fireplace dept.

Pearsons big window on Parliament street is now a car park in the new building.It looks like Pearsons took over many small premises over the years...but not the pub.....And it's still there it must have a Guardian Angel :tongue:

 

 

 

[StephenFord 866]

My mum had a piano bought from Farmers in the 1930s I believe. The manufacturer was Wilson Peck, which from a quick search seems to be a Sheffield firm.

[dgbrit 258]

I worked at Pearson bros in the Garage

The boss had a Aston Martin that i drooled over untill i lost it off the lift . I didnt get fired as it was the lift that was faulty

[DaveJ 3]

It was opposite the Odeon.

It was later NEXT.

I have vague memories of there being a fire there? I could be wrong.

I would not put it in the Posh Catagory? But it werent Rough neither.

I'd certainly put it at 'high end' as a retailer, Mick. My memories of Pearsons was that it was a very classy and smart department store. A great shame what happened to it with the fire. Isn't part of it now the car park that is accessible from Upper Parliament St?

Pearson's main entrance was originally on Long Row but there was a service entrance on Parliament St I think. Originally they sold good quality furniture etc. My maternal grandfather was a delivery man with them for years. Originally he worked for Goodliffes (Spelling?) driving a horse and cart. They sold out to Pearson's.

DaveJ

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

there was a service entrance on Parliament St

It was a bit more than just a service entrance...or it was the world's most spectacular service entrance.

Nice old Rover, too.

[poohbear 1,360]

The service entrance and garage was behind those panelled doors to the left.

[covkimbo 0]

Spectacular indeed. Like so many beautiful things in Nottingham, disappeared. I think that area now houses something like a benefits office. There's just a narrow car-width entrance into the car park.

On a nearby note (and probably for another thread entirely) I see Rob's Record Mart on nearby Hurts Yard is being refurbished. Now THAT'S a job and a half! How will Rob ever find his considerable stock again? :smile:

My first boyfriend worked in Rob's Record Mart. Is it still going?

[.... 23]

It certainly is and has had a recent tidy-up!

[dgbrit 258]

The proper garage was on the road that led up to the General hosp there was a Trick shop on the corner almost opposite.

Ps i never trusted center post lifts after having 2 come down unexpectedly

[DaveN 1,118]

Anyone remember the Pearson's Store? Here's a link to an article in the Post that might jog a few memories.

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Iconic-store-mission-wow-customers/story-25008724-detail/story.html

[The Pianoman 1,532]

I remember Pearsons and Henry Farmer - the music bit next door. The old guy that used to work in the record dept. at least as far back as the 60's, whom I know, is still alive and living in Sawley. He must be a good age now.

[Blondie 1,392]

I remember the Henry Farmer store where they sold organs - my friends father was the Manager there, he was called Mr Weightman, he retired and went to live in Mablethorpe................

[mary1947 2,079]

When I married my uncle gave me £10 00 to buy a wedding present. I went to Pearson's and brought a sliver plated tray, tea pot, milk jug, and water jug. It cost all of my ten pounds, I had never spent so much in my life.

Next year we have been married 50 year's. I still have the tray and milk jug, they both get used every day.

[Radford 17]

Pearsons was wonderful especially at the back.there was every possible want and dream for a new bride in the sixties.

I watch Flog it and see many things coming on that were once bought there. Whitefrairs glass lots of china etc.

They also had Mitzons chocolate next to them,does anyone remember their truffles,treats only, there was also a very smart furniture shop on the corner on the way to TrinitySquare ? Can anyone remember it ,lots of trend setting stuff in the late sixties and seventies,browns and orange were the first choice!

[barclaycon 569]

I used to love going into Pearson's. It was part of my Saturday record shop tour.

Walking across Upper Parliament Street from the Co-Op to Pearson's store with it's strange split levels down to Angel Row, there were always interesting goods in there. Strange that it also had a record department.

Was there some sort of Scandinavian connection ?

Did they have some sort of exclusive import deal for goods from Sweden ?

There were certainly items in there that you wouldn't find anywhere else.

Anyway, Pearson's seemed synonymous with Nottingham and it was a big shock to find one day that it had closed.

In the same way that I assumed that the big Co-Op would always be open. I had always seen these places as busy shops with lots of people in them. To find that they had gone seemed to signal some sort of decline.

The Post article would seem to suggest that Pearson's got caught up in some 're-development' scheme that eventually got scrapped anyway.

It was an iconic store. We won't see many places like it in Nottingham again.

[DaveN 1,118]

Yes Hopewells was at the corner of Parliament Street and Milton Street with a further shop on the opposite side of the road on Parliament Street

[Radford 17]

I really enjoyed reading all of this and then Mitzons was mentioned!

They had the best rum truffles in the world and all the sweets were displayed on glass in lovely cabinets! The Easter eggs were works of art !

When did it close? Up the side of Mitzons between Pearsons there was an alley way and a cafe but I can not remember it's name?

My first coffee set came from Pearsons,used once in 1969,then kept in the cupboard if only we had Flog It in those days we could have a fortune of China,glass and furniture stored away now.

Lovely orange and brown memories Thank you

[nickc 0]

In the late 1960s slot car racing was all the rage and I arranged to meet a friend in 'Pearson Bros model department - not the toy department' This was a small room up a set of stairs off the toy department presided over by Mick Skidmore and John Ellis. A treasure chest of bits and pieces for model trains and cars. Later on it was pipe smoking Reg West who was the expert on trains. A retired engineer with a second career in retail. But what a strange place to find in a department store!

[mercurydancer 1,104]

I seem to recall that at the time, Pearson's had the biggest glass front in England. Could be wrong.

[Totonite 6]

Regarding the Henry Farmer music section, I remember purchasing a chord organ from there in the 1970s'. I also used to visit the department nearly every lunch break while I was doing my ONC at Peoples college.

The range of electronic organs they sold there was quite diverse, and some of them were very expensive(especially the big Conn electric theatre organs). They also seemed to have plenty of second hand instruments-especially Hammonds.

Someone mentioned that a Mr Weightman was the manager there, but I seem to remember that the salesman for the department was a very accomplished organists who would often sit playing the instruments for his own amusement, and I was often inder the impression that he had been a bona fide cinema organist earlier in his career.

[Guest]

I loved the rotating dinky car display cabinet- you pushed a black button and a belt driven device moved rows of cars into view- bought a mini marcos in 1970.

[OrphanAnnie 296]

It's been lovely reading this thread - thank you Cliff Ton! It brought back so many memories - yes the entrance on Parliament St was the staff entrance, by the lift (which staff weren't allowed in unless accompanying a customer).

There was a scandinavian fortnight every year I recall, and there were flags of all those countries flying from Parliament St. The display team used to have to climb out of the staff canteen window onto the ledge to straighten the flags when it was windy and they had curled round the poles.

I worked in the electrical dept for a few weeks, and remember watching Charles' investiture as Prince of Wales on a new fangled colour TV. It had been set up in the store rooms which were built into caves in the basement. Customers used to come in and ask how much it would cost to convert their black and white TV to colour. There was also a testing board for light bulbs behind the till, I got many an electric shock.

Wasn;t there a Farmers' store across the Market Square that sold fabric materials? I seem to recall one of the sisters used to play bingo at mecca when I worked there?

[Chulla 4,946]

When we moved in to our new bungalow in 1972, we bought our teak sideboard and teak circular dining table from Pearsons - and a copper cowl for over the fireplace. Pearsons alway sold nice Scandinavian furniture - not the tripe that is sold by that big Swedish outlet. Very sadly missed store. Went passed it the other day - still mainly empty; what a shame.

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

This might look like a photo of a bus, but it also shows an interesting display of prams and pushchairs in Pearson's window.