A blog about our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. With a sprinkling of nostalgia and urban exploration for good measure.
Showing posts with label shop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shop. Show all posts
Thursday, August 03, 2023
Happy National Watermelon Day
Labels:
2023,
Day,
melon,
Melons,
National Watermelon Day,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
storefront,
Watermelon,
Watermelons
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Wednesday, August 02, 2023
Tandy in Stockport
Finding a Tandy ghost sign thanks to The Power of Parker!
A recent post in the excellent Tandy UK (InterTAN Ltd) Facebook Group alerted me to the fact that there's a ghost sign from an old Tandy shop in Stockport. A fellow group member had spotted in the background of a scene in the new BBC comedy The Power of Parker. The show is set in Stockport in November 1990.
Tandy lives on! |
The store used to be at 111 Prince's Street. It's now home to a Betfred.
The former Tandy shop in Stockport as it is today |
My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire back in 1996 where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.
A RadioShack Tandy sign at a shop in Whitstable, Kent (September 2012) |
It's crazy to think this Tandy signage has been hidden in (relatively) plain sight in my new hometown!
A Tandy ghost sign in Stockport |
Related blog posts:
Labels:
2023,
ghost sign,
Ghost Signs,
Greater Manchester,
Lost Shop,
retail,
shop,
Shops,
signs,
Stockport,
Tandy,
The Power of Parker,
TV,
urban exploration
Location:
111 Prince's St, Stockport SK1 1RW, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
The old Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton
A look at the old Toys R Us store at St James Retail Park in Northampton.
Earlier this year we had a short break to visit friends in Northampton and while there had another look at the old Toys R Us shop at St James Retail Park on Towcester Road.
Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton (April 2023) |
We've since heard that Home Bargains are soon to move in to the premises.
I worked in the Gipsy Lane Toys R Us store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.
Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's interesting to see that there are still remnants of the original brand on some retail parks in the UK.
Toys R Us returned to the UK earlier this summer, as the brand can now be found in some branches of WH Smith. We haven't been near to any of the new version stores yet. It'll be interesting to see what they're like.
Former Toys R Us store locations we've visited on our travels to date:
- Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
- Central Retail Park in Manchester
- Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
- Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
- Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
- Gateway retail park in Reading
- Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
- Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
- St James Retail Park in Northampton
- Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
- The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
- Western Esplanade in Southampton
- Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
- Wyvern Retail Park in Derby
Labels:
2021,
2023,
Abandoned,
Northampton,
Northamptonshire,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shopping,
storefront,
Toys R Us,
urban exploration,
urbex
Location:
Towcester Rd, Northampton NN1 1EE, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, April 13, 2023
The other Happy Shopper in Burton-on-Trent
A visit to a Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent.
Last October we drove home via Burton upon Trent to take a look at a Happy Shopper shop. We're lucky we did as the shop was in the process of being gutted as it's now closed. The business was being moved to a new premises over the road, where some of the old branded shelving is now in use.
Shortly after arriving home we found out the town was home to another Happy Shopper shop! We made sure to visit that one - S & A Singh on Sydney Street - at the next opportunity.
It was nice to see the Happy Shopper branding on the shopfront and there was a lot of it on the shelving inside.
We had a chat to the shopkeeper who had run the Happy Shopper for over 30 years and let him know we appreciated the nostalgia his shop created.
Happy Shopper shops
We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.
A sign at the Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech (2021) |
The Happy Shopper branding was changed in the year 2000 and I think it lost a lot of its charm and individuality. Many of the former Happy Shopper stores were rebranded as Premier shops.
We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.
Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.
Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:
Labels:
2023,
Burton,
Burton on Trent,
Burton upon Trent,
Ghost Signs,
Happy Shopper,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shops,
signage,
storefront,
urban exploration
Location:
Burton upon Trent, Burton-on-Trent, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Monday, April 10, 2023
A Woolworths ghost sign in Northampton
We spotted this ghost sign on the old Woolworths store in Northampton on our recent visit to the town.
You can still see the outline of the lettering on the building on Abington Street.
Other former Woolworths shops
It's fun seeing old & lost brands, ghost signs and retail relics. I took a look at the ghost signs on a former Woolworths store on Blackpool promenade in September 2021.
We saw a Woolworths ghost sign in Nuneaton in May 2022 too. That was a nice surprise!
Like the Blackpool store, the Nuneaton shop site had also most recently been a Poundland and a TJ Hughes.
The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009. Every so often remnants of the brand become visible again.
We visited the Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent in September 2020. That store still had the signage in place and we'd originally spotted it while driving through the town the previous November.
We took a look at an old Woolworths store in Brunstane, Edinburgh in August 2011. That was a Big W Woolworths store at The Jewel retail park. It's long gone now.
Labels:
ghost sign,
Ghost Signs,
Northampton,
Northamptonshire,
retail,
shop,
Shops,
Woolworths
Location:
Northampton, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Video Express in Swansea
Emily spotted the old Video Express video shop in Swansea on her recent trip to the city.
What a blockbuster find!
It's always interesting finding lost video shops and old retail signs on our travels.
There are still traces of other former video shops to be found on the streets of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky.
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:
- Abingdon, Oxfordshire
- Ashton, Bristol
- Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Basingstoke, Hampshire
- Billingham, Teesside
- Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
- Chester, Cheshire
- Chorley, Lancashire
- Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
- Colne, Lancashire
- Failsworth, Manchester
- Fallowfield, Manchester
- Felixstowe, Suffolk
- Filton, Bristol
- Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
- Hastings, East Sussex
- Leigh, Greater Manchester
- Luton, Bedfordshire
- Marple, Greater Manchester
- Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
- Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- Oldham, Greater Manchester
- Prescot, Lancashire
- Shanklin, Isle of Wight
- Southampton, Hampshire
- Telford, Shropshire
- Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
- Wythenshawe, Manchester
Other video shops we've been to include B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton and 20th Century Flicks in Bristol - and both were still trading!
Labels:
retail,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
storefront,
Swansea,
Video,
video shop,
Video Store,
Wales
Location:
St Helen's Rd, Swansea SA1 4BE, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Friday, November 18, 2022
Lost Shops - Grainger Games in Warrington
Spotting an old Grainger Games shop in Warrington.
We saw this former Grainger Games shop at the Golden Square shopping centre in Warrington, Cheshire today.
We've also seen former Grainger Games stores in Stretford, Salford, Hyde, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Bradford.
Interestingly some of them still had a few bits of stock inside!
The shop unit in Warrington will soon be home to Funky Figures. It's nice to see they've kept all of the former Grainger Games shelving inside to give it a nostalgic hit.
The company was founded in 1996 and ceased operations on the 28th March 2018.
As a brand with shops in the North of England and Scotland I only became a regular shopper at Grainger Games when I moved to Stockport in 2016. I picked up some nice old games for my SEGA Master System there.
Labels:
Cheshire,
Funky Figures,
Grainger Games,
Lost Shop,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shopping,
Shops,
storefront,
Warrington
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
37 years of Blockbuster Video
Not entirely gone, and not entirely forgotten.
This was the sign at the Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton, Warwickshire when it was uncovered for a short period of time in 2021 |
The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA on this day in 1985.
At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500-plus of those were in the UK.
There has been a boom in nostalgia for the brand - which back in the day was seen as something of a category killer that saw off many smaller operators.
Blockbuster in the UK
The remains of the Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham, Teesside in 2020 |
Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.
There are still clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks. And we've been to most of them on our travels!
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited
Check out the posts about other former Blockbuster Video stores we've been to in:
- Abingdon, Oxfordshire
- Ashton, Bristol
- Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Basingstoke, Hampshire
- Billingham, Teesside
- Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
- Chester, Cheshire
- Chorley, Lancashire
- Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
- Colne, Lancashire
- Failsworth, Manchester
- Fallowfield, Manchester
- Felixstowe, Suffolk
- Filton, Bristol
- Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
- Hastings, East Sussex
- Leigh, Greater Manchester
- Luton, Bedfordshire
- Marple, Greater Manchester
- Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
- Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- Oldham, Greater Manchester
- Prescot, Lancashire
- Shanklin, Isle of Wight
- Southampton, Hampshire
- Telford, Shropshire
- Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
- Wythenshawe, Manchester
A ghost sign at the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight in 2021 |
Lost brands
Emily and I have spent a lot of the last few years reminiscing about 'the good old days' before the coronavirus pandemic hit the planet. One of our areas of interest is in old retail brands - we're both marketers by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us, while Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper shop. It's been fascinating to find remnants of these brands - and a number of other lost, dead and defunct brands - on the high street and at retail parks around the UK.
Labels:
Blockbuster,
Blockbuster Video Express,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
Shopping,
Shops,
Video,
video shop,
videos
Location:
Dallas, TX, USA
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Sunday, October 16, 2022
A look at an old Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent
Visiting a Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent.
Labels:
Burton,
Burton on Trent,
Burton upon Trent,
Ghost Signs,
Happy Shopper,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shops,
signage,
storefront,
urban exploration
Location:
Burton upon Trent, Burton-on-Trent, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
Spotting an old video shop in Rotherham.
It's always interesting finding lost shops and old signs on my travels and I recently drove past this former video rental shop at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham!
There are still traces of other former video shops to be found on the streets of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky.
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:
- Abingdon, Oxfordshire
- Ashton, Bristol
- Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Basingstoke, Hampshire
- Billingham, Teesside
- Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
- Chester, Cheshire
- Chorley, Lancashire
- Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
- Colne, Lancashire
- Failsworth, Manchester
- Fallowfield, Manchester
- Felixstowe, Suffolk
- Filton, Bristol
- Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
- Hastings, East Sussex
- Leigh, Greater Manchester
- Luton, Bedfordshire
- Marple, Greater Manchester
- Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
- Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- Oldham, Greater Manchester
- Prescot, Lancashire
- Shanklin, Isle of Wight
- Southampton, Hampshire
- Telford, Shropshire
- Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
- Wythenshawe, Manchester
Other video shops we've been to include B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton and 20th Century Flicks in Bristol - and both were still trading!
Labels:
nostalgia,
retail,
Rotherham,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shops,
storefront,
Thorpe Hesley,
Video,
video shop,
Video Store,
videos
Location:
Thorpe Hesley, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, September 08, 2022
A Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent
A look at an old Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
We drove via Burton upon Trent on our journey home from the south coast last week to take a look at a Happy Shopper shop in the town. We're lucky we did as the shop was in the process of being gutted as it's now closed. The business has moved to a new unit over the road, where some of the old branded shelving is now in use.
I've since found out there's ANOTHER Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent! We'll have to swing by S & A Singh on Sydney Street next time we're passing...
Happy Shopper nostalgia
We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.
We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.
Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more. Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:
Labels:
Burton,
Burton on Trent,
Burton upon Trent,
Ghost Signs,
Happy Shopper,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shops,
signage,
storefront,
urban exploration
Location:
Burton upon Trent, Burton-on-Trent, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Monday, July 11, 2022
Happy National 7-Eleven Day
It's National 7-Eleven Day.
7-Eleven convenience stores celebrate National 7-Eleven Day on when else but the 11th July.
We were surprised to see a number of 7-Eleven stores in Stockholm on our last trip there in 2018. We'd only ever seen them in the USA before that |
Labels:
2022,
7-Eleven,
Day,
Marketing,
National 7-Eleven Day,
retail,
shop,
Shopping,
Shops,
Sign,
signage,
signs,
Stockholm,
Sweden,
USA
Location:
United States
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Blockbuster Video Express in Failsworth, Manchester
Spotting a retail remnant on an old Blockbuster Video store in Manchester.
My retail archaeologist senses started twitching while on the Oldham Road in Failsworth recently as I looked at a building and thought to myself, "I bet that used to be a Blockbuster."
And sure enough, it was once a Blockbuster Video Express store.
The shop unit now home to AMC Furniture was once a Blockbuster Video Express store |
I've only driven along this particular part of the road once before, but luckily this time the view of the shop front was clear and I could see the QuikDrop box still in place!
Blockbuster Video
We're big fans of video, videos stores, retail history and retro stuff and have been visiting and documenting the last remaining traces of the Blockbuster brand in the UK over the last few years. We've seen a number of the brand's shopfronts, signs and QuikDrop boxes. As well as some other video shops.
Blockbuster Video Stores
The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.
At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.
Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.
There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.
However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!
The QuikDrop box at the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Failsworth, Manchester |
We've now visited 28 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop.
- Abingdon, Oxfordshire
- Ashton, Bristol
- Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Basingstoke, Hampshire
- Billingham, Teesside
- Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
- Chester, Cheshire
- Chorley, Lancashire
- Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
- Colne, Lancashire
- Failsworth, Manchester
- Fallowfield, Manchester
- Felixstowe, Suffolk
- Filton, Bristol
- Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
- Hastings, East Sussex
- Leigh, Greater Manchester
- Luton, Bedfordshire
- Marple, Greater Manchester
- Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
- Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- Oldham, Greater Manchester
- Prescot, Lancashire
- Shanklin, Isle of Wight
- Southampton, Hampshire
- Telford, Shropshire
- Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
- Wythenshawe, Manchester
Labels:
Abandoned,
Blockbuster,
branding,
Derelict,
Failsworth,
Greater Manchester,
history,
Manchester,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
Sign,
signs,
urban exploration,
urbex,
Video,
video shop
Location:
Oldham Rd, Failsworth, Manchester, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Monday, March 21, 2022
A Happy Shopper in Sittingbourne, Kent
Finding a Happy Shopper shop in Sittingbourne, Kent.
The Happy Shopper shop on Chaucer Road in Sittingbourne |
The latest Happy Shopper shop we visited was in Sittingbourne, Kent.
A sign for the Happy Shopper opposite the shop |
It was marvellous to see the shopfront with the happy faced mascot on it shining out on the parade of shops on Chaucer Road.
The Happy Shopper shop sign |
It was nice having a chat to the shopkeeper who seemed just as happy as us to talk about the Happy Shopper brand! He also pointed out the celebration clock they still have working in the shop.
Visiting a fully branded Happy Shopper shop is like stepping back in time |
Happy Shopper nostalgia
We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.
We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.
Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more on our somewhat limited travels. Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:
Labels:
Ghost Signs,
Happy Shopper,
Kent,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shops,
signage,
Sittingbourne,
storefront,
urban exploration
Location:
Sittingbourne, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Monday, February 21, 2022
A Happy Shopper in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
A visit to a Happy Shopper shop in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.
We made a stopover in Wisbech while en route to Norwich last November and while there found a Happy Shopper shop!
The Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech |
Pleasant News on Edinburgh drive certainly lived up to its name.
The shop had one of the 'newer' Happy Shopper signs outside (the one without the Happy Shopper mascot on it), but inside was a different story.
It was like stepping back in time.
The Open/Closed sign was a classic Happy Shopper branded one.
We were happy the shop was open |
And the shelf fronts had branded strips on them.
Chatting to the shopkeeper was nice and he told us about the shop's history and plans for the future, with his family opening a new shop on the same parade. Luckily the Happy Shopper branding at Pleasant News will be staying for the time being.
I remember when those crisps were 10p a bag |
Happy Shopper nostalgia
We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.
We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.
Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more on our somewhat limited travels. Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:
Labels:
Cambridgeshire,
Ghost Signs,
Happy Shopper,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shops,
signage,
storefront,
urban exploration,
Wisbech
Location:
13-15 Edinburgh Dr, Wisbech PE13 3LJ, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
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