C&A, BHS, Etam, Beatties and more - the Birmingham shops we used to love - Birmingham Live

We look back at some of the city's best-loved shops of old - think Chelsea Girl, The Pier and Lewis’s - which do you remember?

The news of House of Fraser closing in Birmingham has got us thinking about all those shops in Brum that we used to love.

After 128 years in the city, the store we all remember as Rackhams, is to shut its doors as part of a nationwide closure of 31 House of Fraser stores.

We used to love Rackhams, with its famous grotto and glorious toy department.

Whether your first trips to town were to spend your pocket money or a Saturday afternoon with friends away from the beady eye of Mum, there’s something about shopping that lingers in the memory.

All those places we haunted as teenagers – Etam, Mark One, Woolworths – are fixed in our memories as much as the music of the time or the food we ate for tea.

Many have now closed down or been revamped and sold as brands in supermarkets or online.

But if you are of a certain age there are a string of shops you definitely remember, if only to recall some of the dreadful fashion faux pas we made in the 80s and 90s.

How many of us went to the famous Lewis’s grotto, bought footie boots at Harry Parkes, tried on a mini-skirt in C&A, or snapped up the latest 12-inch single from Tempest Records?

Rackhams

Corporation Street

House of Fraser may not be closing until early 2019 but we already miss Rackhams.

It was the place we went to see Santa in his amazing grotto and we loved the top floor as kids - because the whole floor was devoted to toys!

And, if you could only browse, Rackhams had the best window shopping in Brum.

Etam

New Street

This affordable French brand was once a staple of every teenage girl’s wardrobe, and her sister’s too, thanks to its younger department called Tammy Girl. It initially moved from New Street to Bullring then closed in 2005. It returned to the UK as an online retailer in 2011.

Greys department store

Bull Street

This was a department store similar to Lewis’s. It had a Wendy House for children to play in on the top floor. The frontage of it was bombed during the Blitz in 1940, as the photograph in the gallery shows. The shop was around until the late 1960s / early 1970s.

Harry Parkes sports shop

Corporation Street

When Aston Villa stalwart Harry Parkes hung up his boots in 1955, he poured his efforts into his successful sports shop, which supplied all the Villa players with their boots. The shop closed when he retired in 1999, and it was turned into Bar Med.

Chelsea Girl

High Street

Every young woman of a certain age loved Chelsea Girl when they were growing up because it offered trend-led pieces at affordable prices. The shops disappeared when the company morphed into River Island in 1988. But, in 2011, River Island relaunched the iconic Chelsea Girl label, drawing from fashion archives for its vintage-inspired collections.

Beatties

Corporation Street

This traditional shop had grown from a small drapery business in Wolverhampton into a national department store with an excellent reputation for customer service. It closed in 2006 after being taken over by House of Fraser. Today it is a large New Look.

C&A

Corporation Street

Prior to Beatties was C&A, a Dutch company dating back to 1841. There were two large escalators that went up through the middle of the store, which offered fashion for all the family. The doors to this large store closed in 2001 but the company still continues to be very successful across Europe.

Pavilions

High Street

It was the place you went to get albums signed, to hang out with your friends in the Food Court or to grab the latest Disney toy.

Once one of Birmingham’s premiere shopping destinations, the Pavilions closed its doors in May 2016 after 29 years of trading.

The centre will be converted into a gigantic four storey Primark store covering 150,000 sq ft, due to open in 2018.

Henry’s department store

Union Street

This was a popular store in the 1950s and 1960s, where many people remember visiting with their parents to buy school uniform. It was owned by BHS and was around for 36 years before finally closing in 1969.

BHS

New Street

BHS went bust in the summer of 2016, with scores of workers losing their jobs across the nation.

While British Home Stores may not feature on New Street anymore, the retailer has continued to trade online.

It was replaced in 2018 with a large flagship H&M.

The Cook’s Kitchen

The Minories

While the Bullring celebrated its first anniversary, The Cook’s Kitchen closed down after 10 years in the city. The shop was an Aladdin’s cave for keen cooks, selling everything from cute cupcake cases to food mixers. Sadly sales went down after the opening of Bullring and so the shop closed in the summer of 2004.

GAP

Corporation Street

The bright and airy, two storey shop was filled with the pastels, neutrals and stripes we came to associate with GAP.

After it closed, the large store was converted into an enormous Poundland - with another Poundland just doors away.

The Pier

Pavilions

Down in the basement of Pavilions was The Pier, offering an eclectic mix of furniture, home accessories and gifts. It closed in 2009 and the space was used for a while to host Gallery 37 Birmingham, a youth arts training programme.

Lewis’s

Corporation Street

Lewis’s was a trusted department store in the city, having first been established in 1885. It always had the best Christmas grotto in town, including an amazing Alice in Wonderland grotto where little shoppers could slide down into Wonderland. It had a pet shop and a roof garden. Even though the shop closed in 1991, people still continue to refer to the Lewis’s building when offering directions.

Past Times

Pavilions

Those looking for unusual gifts often had a browse round Past Times, which sold Edwardian style jewellery and Victorian-inspired games. The shop closed in 2012.

Tempest Records

Bull Street

Tempest Records shut its doors in Bull Street in March 2010 after trading in the city for more than 40 years, having first opened in Lozells Road in 1968.

Wax Lyrical

Pavilions

People used to wax lyrical about the luxury scented candles at this shop. Like so many companies, it closed its boutiques and began stocking supermarkets, outlet shops and selling online instead. The space was used by jewellery shop Azendi then Beautiful Eyes and Brows before Pavilions closed its doors.

Nelson House

Dale End

Who remembers Nelson House? This men’s clothing shop did a roaring trade in 1950s Teddy Boy clothing together with Brutus jeans and Jaytex and Ben Sherman shirts throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Virgin Megastore and HMV

Pavilions

These two giant music stores stood side by side at the entrance of Pavilions like two huge towers of sound. Many artists such as Cliff Richard, Tony Iommi and Westlife came to sign CDs, drawing in thousands of fans to the stores. Virgin was replaced by Zavvi, which sold Xbox games, DVDs and technology until it closed in 2009.

The Record Centre

Loveday Street

Tucked away in a little side street of the city centre was The Record Centre, run by Ray Purslow for 30 years, right up until 2007.

The Plastic Factory

Corporation Street

This record shop was a haven for music lovers had been in Birmingham for more than 20 years when it closed in 2004.

Borders

Bullring

The international book and music store, which opened with great gusto at Bullring, attracted many celebrities to book signings, including Katie Price and Diana’s butler Paul Burrell. Facing tough competition from online retailers and supermarkets, it closed in 2009.

Bay Trading Co

High Street

If you were looking for an outfit for work but didn’t want to spend a lot of money, Bay Trading Co was the place to go. That was until it closed in 2008.

Raw

High Street

This clothing shop was next door to Bay Trading Co and, in its final week in 2008, it slashed a massive 95 per cent off its items.

Woolworths

The Pallasades

Fondly remembered as Woolies, this was the place you went to spend your pocket money on stationary, toys, music, DVDs, games and books. Woolworths ceased trading on the high street in January 2009 and shoppers dashed to grab a bargain from the Pallasades store where prices were slashed so much, people were queuing up to buy what was left.

Ciro Citterio

High Street

People generally stumbled over their words when saying they were going to this men’s clothing store as nobody could quite work out how to say the name! It closed in 2009, blaming the economic climate of the time.

Mark One / MK One

near Bullring

Mark One was a bit of a jumble sale of a shop but many a great bargain could be found here for a teenager prepared to search. The changing rooms left a little to be desired as they were just one large room with benches around the edge rather than separate cubicles. In the 2000s, the name changed to MK One and many of the stores were bought and re-branded by Internationale in 2009.

The Reject Shop

High Street

Known for its prints, china and cushions, The Reject Shop was a great place for a bargain. Sadly long closed, The Reject Shop only exists as a store in Australia now. Bit too far to go to pick up a print ...

Whittard

Pavilions

Established in Chelsea in 1886, this was the place to pick up unusual flavoured coffees, teas and hot chocolates. Whittards moved out of the city centre some time ago, with the nearest shop now being at Stratford-Upon-Avon.

YHA Shop

Corporation Street Underpass

A great place to go for all your camping needs, do you remember when the YHA Shop made the papers for offering a free condom with all Campus Travel trips sold for Valentine’s Day in 1999? This underpass has long since been filled and so all the little shops down here are gone.

The Left Shoe Company

Colmore Row

Established in 1998, Left combined technology with traditional craftsmanship to reinvent made to measure shoes for the 21st century. The shop on the corner of the Great Western Arcade has long gone but there is still a store in London and people can order online.

Comet

One Stop, Perry Barr

When electrical giant Comet closed down in 2012, it brought hoards of people to the One Stop Shopping Centre in the hope of a bargain. And with iPads on offer for half price, this wasn’t really surprising.

Reddingtons Rare Records

Digbeth High Street

Reddingtons Rare Records began life in Moor Street, moving to Cannon Street and then Digbeth High Street, where its last vinyl emporium closed nine years ago. Owner Dan Reddington continued online trading from a warehouse in Redditch before finally closing in 2014, marking the end of an era for music buffs in Birmingham.

Kensington Freak

New Street

A lovely little boutique for men wanting a smart outfit for a night out. Kensington Freak left its spot on New Street sometime ago, making way for residential lettings.

Cyclops

Picadilly Arcade

Vinyl junkies loved this record emporium as it offered all their favourite singles at great value throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Bankrupt Clothing Company

Martineau Place

A cool place to pick up a bargain pair of jeans and sweatshirt, the walls of this large shop were always lined with jeans. It closed down many years ago amidst changes to Martineau Place and Corporation Street.

Music Zone

Bull Street

The demise of the Bull Street store, which hosted a series of personal appearances by bands, marked another blow to the high street in 2007. The chain blamed aggressive pricing across the DVD and music market.

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