Stafford Traffic.

Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Mudgie said:
Marcus didn't bother about marketing and his shop might have "looked a bit run down and never that inviting to visit" but he was far more knowledgeable, and offered a more comprehensive service, than any assistant in B&Q and Wickes
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And he sold stuff that you certainly wouldn't get in those types of shops.
 
Cue

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
Mudgie said:
Marcus didn't bother about marketing and his shop might have "looked a bit run down and never that inviting to visit" but he was far more knowledgeable, and offered a more comprehensive service, than any assistant in B&Q and Wickes
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So it was an image problem then, he should have made that a highlight of his business and shouted it from the rooftops. I’ve no way to know that nor what he may have that the chains do not without going in, and I’ve only needed something very obscure once to fit my AC condensate pipe which I had to sort with Plumbits

Can’t say I go to a hardware store aiming to chat with the assistants mind you, I already know that I’m not getting anything helpful out of B&Q or Wickes.

Granted location probably didn’t help either, as Weston Road isn’t the best place to park up. But we’re edging into ghost town thread territory now

This isn’t me saying “oh he deserved to close” or anything like that, I’m just being analytical about it. Independent shops are the lifeblood of a town after all.
 
Mudgie

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Cue said:
So it was an image problem then, he should have made that a highlight of his business and shouted it from the rooftops. I’ve no way to know that nor what he may have that the chains do not without going in, and I’ve only needed something very obscure once to fit my AC condensate pipe which I had to sort with Plumbits

Can’t say I go to a hardware store aiming to chat with the assistants mind you, I already know that I’m not getting anything helpful out of B&Q or Wickes.

Granted location probably didn’t help either, as Weston Road isn’t the best place to park up. But we’re edging into ghost town thread territory now

This isn’t me saying “oh he deserved to close” or anything like that, I’m just being analytical about it. Independent shops are the lifeblood of a town after all.
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Marcus wasn't the sort of person to shout about anything, not even about politics,
Too many people nowadays just go on 'image'. You've reminded me that the Laurieston in Glasgow is about the most welcoming pub I've ever known yet from the outside it looks the most uninviting.
I've had very goods service from Plumbits over many years.
What Marcus and Plumbits have in common is of course that they're not national chains.
 
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Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
If you only wanted the generic stuff that Wickes and B&Q sold, then they were the places to go. If you wanted rather more specialist items, then he would supply you.

He is also of an age when he might now be thinking of reducing his activities a bit - the shop was not the only blade in his penknife.
 
Trumpet

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
Mudgie said:
Maybe, but street and town are a good idea.
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Many friends and family often refer to Mrs T as Hyacinth after Hyacinth in Keeping Up Appearances. Shortly after moving to Woodseaves she received a birthday card from her brother down south addressed to Mrs Bucket, Woodseaves, Staffordshire. Once it had arrived at our small Post Office our post lady knew exactly where to deliver it.
 
Mudgie

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Trumpet said:
Many friends and family often refer to Mrs T as Hyacinth after Hyacinth in Keeping Up Appearances. Shortly after moving to Woodseaves she received a birthday card from her brother down south addressed to Mrs Bucket, Woodseaves, Staffordshire. Once it had arrived at our small Post Office our post lady knew exactly where to deliver it.
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Yes, I'm not surprised.
Was that Chrissy or one of the other two postwomen working from the shed behind Woodseaves Post Office ?
 
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BobClay

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
As I lived in Mynors Street for a few years yes I'd call the Weston Road end of Westhead Ave. Littleworth. Yes, I was a 'rich Littleworth kid' having been promoted from Sheridan St by the Rec which I'd also class as Coton Fields. When they found out I wasn't rich, I was flung over the side off the coast of Cornwall. :P

I'm sorry to hear that hardware shop is gone. Been there quite a while. I used it quite a lot when I was doing my house up in Mynors Street. But then I was also sorry to see those two sweet shops opposite the Prince car park disappear as they were a primary port of call when going to and from Kingston School. Also sorry to see one of the best chippies in the town disappear at the top of Dartmouth Street.

I was also sorry to see the dinosaurs disappear ..... but that's another story. :heyhey:
 
Mudgie

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
BobClay said:
As I lived in Mynors Street for a few years yes I'd call the Weston Road end of Westhead Ave. Littleworth. Yes, I was a 'rich Littleworth kid' having been promoted from Sheridan St by the Rec which I'd also class as Coton Fields. When they found out I wasn't rich, I was flung over the side off the coast of Cornwall. :P

I'm sorry to hear that hardware shop is gone. Been there quite a while. I used it quite a lot when I was doing my house up in Mynors Street. But then I was also sorry to see those two sweet shops opposite the Prince car park disappear as they were a primary port of call when going to and from Kingston School. Also sorry to see one of the best chippies in the town disappear at the top of Dartmouth Street.

I was also sorry to see the dinosaurs disappear ..... but that's another story. :heyhey:
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Yes, Marcus's hardware shop has "been there quite a while" but was the premises a greengrocer's in the mid 1970s ?
And yes the Dartmouth street chippy was a good one, that's if you could find it open.
 
Glam

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
Trumpet said:
Many friends and family often refer to Mrs T as Hyacinth after Hyacinth in Keeping Up Appearances. Shortly after moving to Woodseaves she received a birthday card from her brother down south addressed to Mrs Bucket, Woodseaves, Staffordshire. Once it had arrived at our small Post Office our post lady knew exactly where to deliver it.
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We call our older sister Bucket, only because the youngest one can't spell Hyacinth. She used to live up Badgers Croft in Eccleshall, thought her were sumat that one. Well she was, till she opened her mouth to have a go at the kids n dogs.
Bit of a shock to the neighbours that.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Mudgie said:
Yes, Marcus's hardware shop has "been there quite a while" but was the premises a greengrocer's in the mid 1970s ?
And yes the Dartmouth street chippy was a good one, that's if you could find it open.
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I think it originally opened as Trade & Home Supplies in '78 or early '79. I lived in Tixall Road from '78 to '80 and I still use some screwdrivers that I bought in there, shortly after it opened. I do vaguely remember it being a 'corner shop' of some description before that. Marcus never bothered to change the signs, after he took it over, there was no need or point in doing so.

There was another, smaller, corner shop on the out-of-town side of the Dartmouth Street/Tixall Road junction. They maintained a huge variety of products for such a small venue.

Dartmouth Street was indeed a great chippy and it did have a sequence of opening times, if you could remember the sequence and what day it was.
 
Cue

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
Just driven round Stafford for half an hour trying to find a way back home, as the “westbound closure” on Weston Road was either entirely wrong or they’re operating a very very slow traffic light system… as the queue was back to the hospital and only moved when people gave up

My advice today? Don’t bother leaving the house
 
proactive

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Cue said:
Just driven round Stafford for half an hour trying to find a way back home, as the “westbound closure” on Weston Road was either entirely wrong or they’re operating a very very slow traffic light system… as the queue was back to the hospital and only moved when people gave up

My advice today? Don’t bother leaving the house
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I'll not be coming back to Stafford until the evening. By which time all the traffic excitement will be over.
 
Z

Zylo

Well-Known Forumite
Cue said:
Just driven round Stafford for half an hour trying to find a way back home, as the “westbound closure” on Weston Road was either entirely wrong or they’re operating a very very slow traffic light system… as the queue was back to the hospital and only moved when people gave up

My advice today? Don’t bother leaving the house
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That's great, I don't like leaving the house anyway, it's a shame I have to for work in the week mind :(

I hate people
 
Trumpet

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
Mudgie said:
Yes, I'm not surprised.
Was that Chrissy or one of the other two postwomen working from the shed behind Woodseaves Post Office ?
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Current postie is Jeanette, lovely young lady. Not sure if she was here or not when we arrived.
 
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