tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post2710854983881011525..comments2023-10-16T12:59:06.745+01:00Comments on Janice in Caunes: WoolworthsJanicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-90666934672162594202013-02-14T07:40:49.435+00:002013-02-14T07:40:49.435+00:00In about 1955 I bought my mother a small diamanté ...In about 1955 I bought my mother a small diamanté lizard broach from Woolies in East Grinstead, Sussex. She wore it almost every day thereafter, and I still have it. Either she was just being nice, or I had exceptional taste; probably the former. Cro Magnonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840670227576695352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-70290164804747023672013-02-11T16:43:54.611+00:002013-02-11T16:43:54.611+00:00Thanks Erica ( Irene). I am doing well, but just a...Thanks Erica ( Irene). I am doing well, but just at the moment, dont seem to be up to actually blogging very much. Thank you so much for your kind thoughts, they do mean a grea6t deal to me. JxJanicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-74971061217673505532013-02-11T14:52:53.720+00:002013-02-11T14:52:53.720+00:00I'm always thinking about you Janice....and ho...I'm always thinking about you Janice....and hoping for the best. I can understand what you are going through and just think the worst is over. You are always in my thoughts and prayers, I so enjoy reading your posts and you seem like such a nice person. Take care (((HUGS))) EricaErica (Irene)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10506249277104250093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-4968224843015938562013-02-04T13:22:20.177+00:002013-02-04T13:22:20.177+00:00Thanks Penny, it does feel a little like soldierin...Thanks Penny, it does feel a little like soldiering through at the moment...sometimes being half way through feels very positive, and at other time, its a bit like, Oh heavens, I've got to go through everything I've been through, all over again.Most days are good though... thanks again JxJanicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-40311630987026172772013-01-29T01:46:12.985+00:002013-01-29T01:46:12.985+00:00Janice, I have been thinking about you, knowing yo...Janice, I have been thinking about you, knowing you are soldiering through your treatments and all that entails. Just wanted you to know you were in my thoughts and prayers. PennyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-80828015980342882032013-01-19T16:20:18.941+00:002013-01-19T16:20:18.941+00:00It was posh wasn't it. I also recognise , as s...It was posh wasn't it. I also recognise , as soon as I saw your comment, that it was Kendals, with one L. I didn't discover Manchester until I went to university at 18, but have loved it ever since. One of my best friend's mothers, who I might add was incredibly posh..... Had an account at Kendal Milnes. Nothing could be more of a sign that she was a class above us ! <br />I bought an evening dress from Kendals in 1992, as the evening dress for my wedding day......it remains the most expensive dress I have ever bought, even 20 years on. ( It cost 6 times more than my wedding dress ) yes, a very special shop. JxJanicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-86420861429151960962013-01-19T13:56:28.069+00:002013-01-19T13:56:28.069+00:00Oh, you've just started another memory hare he...Oh, you've just started another memory hare here, Janice! Growing up in Lancashire I remember Kendal Milnes as a VERY special shopping destination - so much bigger and more glamorous than any of the shops in our local towns. :-)Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-44460527052098130102013-01-19T13:26:33.489+00:002013-01-19T13:26:33.489+00:00The sweet counter was spectacular wasn't it ? ...The sweet counter was spectacular wasn't it ? Perhaps it was distant memories of that, that made the modern Woolies decide that pick and mix was their unique selling point.......a mistake, I fear.<br />Sherbet dabs....or sherbet fountains...with that stick of liquorice sticking out...oh yes. J.Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-80822609983845157962013-01-19T13:23:39.242+00:002013-01-19T13:23:39.242+00:00I have been so delighted by the responses this blo...I have been so delighted by the responses this blog has generated. It just takes a little thing to trigger a memory....and we're off down memory lane. I have now started the book Annie sent me...and love it. I would call it whimsical with a hint of darkness.... and I'm only on page 35.<br /><br />I love the idea that wherever Busby's was, is forever Busby's. certainly I can never call Kendalls in Manchester, House of Fraser....it will always be kendalls, and actually, it will always be Kendall Milnes to me...the name even before just Kendalls.<br />I am having more good than bad days, and am really enjoying every minute of the good days. Thanks Jill.Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-64459473027218565012013-01-18T19:54:40.654+00:002013-01-18T19:54:40.654+00:00Fascinating to read both your blog and other peopl...Fascinating to read both your blog and other people's responses. I remember the sweet counter. I loved the look of it but even as a child I didn't really have a sweet tooth and would buy things that looked fab and give them away, not quite finished, to my younger brother. Sherbet dabs were the exception and always got finished!Elizabeth Musgravehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09473705107636868753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-69278326074417464662013-01-18T16:41:31.960+00:002013-01-18T16:41:31.960+00:00I'm going to order that book straight away, I&...I'm going to order that book straight away, I'm glad you showed it. I remember the Woolies in Reading where I grew up very well but I don't think it was as soulful as yours, definitely no wood floors.<br /> The comments have been so interesting. My school friend Su and I used to hitch up the M4 from Reading to Kensington High Street to shop at Biba. Occasionally we'd get the train but we preferred to save our money for clothes! I don't have any relics but I do have a near perfect velvet jacket from Mr Freedom which was just round the corner on Church St. I broke the bank to buy it and then hardly wore it.<br /><br />Busbys in Bradford..... when I was a student and then young mum there, Busby's bit the dust. But even after it stopped being Debenhams, the bus conductors were still calling that stop "Busby's". I wonder if they still do?<br /><br />Best wishes Janice, hope you have a lot more good days than bad.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04887669229075945309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-83875451020566576052013-01-18T14:19:08.467+00:002013-01-18T14:19:08.467+00:00I too recall the smell from the floor. I have love...I too recall the smell from the floor. I have loved reading everyone's personal memories, you're right, it is proper social history, and completely fascinating. Thanks for your good wishes. J.Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-24473745743412319032013-01-16T17:21:17.806+00:002013-01-16T17:21:17.806+00:00Dear Janice, this post is exactly what I love abou...Dear Janice, this post is exactly what I love about blogging - social history, or what!! And the fascinating responses from everyone. My Woolworths memory is of buying cheap pans which resulted in the contents always sticking to the bottom. (Or perhaps it was that in those early days I just couldn't cook!) Himself says that what he remembers is the smell of the wooden floor, possibly of the oil with which it had been treated.<br /><br />I do hope that the results of the chemo sessions will become less grueling for you over time.Share my Gardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08817611851604816123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-88244148824924189622013-01-16T14:27:10.590+00:002013-01-16T14:27:10.590+00:00It stems from so many years of hearing my mother r...It stems from so many years of hearing my mother recite the number as the final bill was totted up. I can remember it, alongside phone numbers from friends who had phones years before we ever had one....but have no idea what my own mobile number is..... And I've had the same slumber for 20 years. Oh well, at least I know lots of other people who have the same problem. J.Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-47743734262152637002013-01-16T14:20:50.833+00:002013-01-16T14:20:50.833+00:00I have so enjoyed reading people's Woolworths ...I have so enjoyed reading people's Woolworths memories Penny. Those from your side of the Atlantic always seem to involve lunch counters, which we didn't have......but we recall them from movies, and of course, the Civil Rights news reels. Sorry that your Woolworths memories are connected to dentist vists, but even that sounds interesting. I am feeling very good at the moment, and after the next chemo session, will be half way through ! So.....all is good. JxJanicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-63368786281716016842013-01-16T04:13:47.548+00:002013-01-16T04:13:47.548+00:00This really stirred up some happy memories for me,...This really stirred up some happy memories for me, Janice, and our girls have their own Woolworth memories. My fondest memory was of the Woolworth's in downtown Chicago on State Street. Our dentist was in the Annex to Marshall Field's. Twice a year we would go with our mother to have our teeth checked; usually just a cleaning, but, I'm old enough to remember having a cavity filled with the use of a foot powered drill. After the appointment, my mother would walk us over to Woolworth's and we would sit at the counter, which seemed to snake round and round the basement, but, was likely only an S, and we could have a malted milk. Ooooo, I can still taste it. I had my first French fries and coke at the Woolworth in Broadview, IL. Oh, I could go on and on. Must find the book. Thank you, my dear, for that memory. I'm glad you were feeling well enough to post. PennyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-34980735613615568632013-01-15T18:02:28.394+00:002013-01-15T18:02:28.394+00:00Crikey, Janice, what a memory you have! I haven...Crikey, Janice, what a memory you have! I haven't a clue what our number was, though I clearly remember sticking the divi slips to the long sheets and adding up the totals without the aid of a calculator. :-) The divi paid for a lot of our Christmas presents back then.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-7088204028398233492013-01-15T11:29:06.365+00:002013-01-15T11:29:06.365+00:00Thanks, remind me to do something about your depri...Thanks, remind me to do something about your deprived childhood Jess. <br />xxxJanicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-64866771067185213392013-01-15T11:27:31.880+00:002013-01-15T11:27:31.880+00:00I am so delighted that Annie's gift has prompt...I am so delighted that Annie's gift has prompted so many memories for people. I certainly bought stockings from the Hendon central branch ( smaller than the Hendon Broadway branch of my childhood visits to grandma...... or maybe I was just bigger ! ) <br />Woolworth's fate was sad....the decline into that dreadful place where the only thing they seemed to sell was pick and mix sickly sugar coated sweets, to the final closure. Mind you... I'm really sad about Jessops.....and HMV. I remember going into the Oxford St branch as a teenager, to listen to the latest records in their listening booths. It was a great day out with friends, all for the tube fare. Oh well. <br />Perhaps we should start a Co-op memories blog..... can you remember your mum's divi number.... our was 1185269 ! JxJanicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-26012456160601964272013-01-15T11:20:22.740+00:002013-01-15T11:20:22.740+00:00You clearly had a charmed youth.... a job in Woolw...You clearly had a charmed youth.... a job in Woolworths and a frequent visitor to the Biba shop. I recently bought a Biba ( the new brand ) beaded jacket....there has been an attempt to resurrect the gorgeous Hulanicki designs...but it is nowhere near as gorgeous as those originals. I wonder what happened to your dressing gown.Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-555471749749845072013-01-15T10:50:11.736+00:002013-01-15T10:50:11.736+00:00Oh now you've brought back memories of Biba! ...Oh now you've brought back memories of Biba! It was my favourite shop when I lived in a shared flat in Earls Court when I was about 19 yrs old. I used to go to Biba at every opportunity, buying their wonderful make-up. I had a super silky dressing gown from there with padded shoulders, all muted yellows and blues...I wish I still had it!<br /><br />And yes I can almost remember the smell of those perfumes from Woollies!Ayakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16903896106779269050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-42373104601822709542013-01-14T21:27:24.870+00:002013-01-14T21:27:24.870+00:00Love this one mum, you descriptions are great, I c...Love this one mum, you descriptions are great, I can imagine it even though i never actually saw it. Jessienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-28966188704397837742013-01-14T21:25:53.865+00:002013-01-14T21:25:53.865+00:00This super post catapulted me right back to my chi...This super post catapulted me right back to my childhood, Janice, and I'm so glad that Annie's gift sparked the thought and that you felt well enough again to write it. We had a Woolworths in Darwen where I was born and it was just as you described it. It wasn't self-service back then and sold a very wide range of goods. Apart from the sweet counter, I clearly remember the haberdashery and the cosmetics counters and buying first stockings, then tights there. It was also where we looked first when wanting to buy small gifts for our parents and grandparents.<br /><br />Of course there were other shops which sold a range of goods, especially the Co-op, but Woolies was the place for cheapness and choice and I loved it.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-40293824573626774792013-01-14T19:16:28.955+00:002013-01-14T19:16:28.955+00:00As always Jane, you are in the business of creatin...As always Jane, you are in the business of creating memories for those lucky grandchildren. Jessie still loves the idea of fruit and dairy for breakfast......your famous banana bread with ice cream. We have £ shops here, and in France we have the Euro shops.......somehow, they lack the romance of the early Woolworth treasure houses......but I'm sure they will be remembered fondly by the Robinson grandchildren. JxxxJanicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449652020751269674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-926851391080970240.post-82472000257955187292013-01-14T19:05:15.798+00:002013-01-14T19:05:15.798+00:00Today's version: the $1.00 stores! We take t...Today's version: the $1.00 stores! We take the grandkids there; give them each $5.00; and wait to see what 'treasures' they buy, for themselves or others. Only rule: nothing that goes in the mouth (candy, etc). Sometimes it will take them an hour+ to make the big decisions. Wonder if they'll have some memories in time?Janenoreply@blogger.com