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Retail Revisited: The Changing Face of Stafford's High Street

Posted on Friday 15th November 2019
Retail Revisited Newsroom

Retail Revisited exhibition looks at the changing face of Stafford's high street

People in Stafford are getting a unique glimpse of the changing face of shopping on the town’s high street in a brand new exhibition.

This latest offering from Staffordshire County Council’s Archives and Heritage Service draws on historic collections to explore some of the shops and businesses along Greengate Street and Gaolgate Street during the mid-20th century.

Exhibits include, items bought from the shops at the time, including, clothing, children’s toys like Action Man and Sindy dolls, medicines, and the carrier bags the goods would have been placed in. A large display of photos of the shops throughout the years are also on display.

Chris Copp from Staffordshire County Council’s Archives and Heritage service  said:

“This is a fascinating exhibition that really captures the spirit of the high street through the years.

“It’s a wonderful way to remember the different shops along Greengate Street and Gaolgate Street and to reminisce about how we shopped in the 1960s and 1970s. From buying shoes from the Lotus Shop, to Christmas shopping at the Co-op or stopping for a cup of tea at Jenkinsons Café the high street was the place to be.”

For many years Stafford’s town centre has consisted of well-known national chains and many long-established local businesses. Over the years the names and shop fronts have been altered, and some shops have moved to new locations but many of the buildings remain largely unchanged.

Organisers are now keen to capture people’s memories of what shopping was like at the time.

The exhibition runs until Saturday 6 January at the Ancient High House, Greengate Street Stafford.

Staffordshire Archives and Heritage Service looks after over 11 million objects, photographs and documents which together tell the stories of Staffordshire’s people and places. You can find out more at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Heritage-and-archives

 

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