Shops of yore

It would seem that my grandfather had a hand (or bottle) in the redesign of Gilberts High St window.

That's a fantastic shop front Osmiroid.

It is still there! Google Street view (currently behind shutters until the shops re-open).

Thanks Helen, I might have some modern ones somewhere that I didn't transfer to my tablet before I lost everything.

Does anyone recall the name of the model railway shop that was opposite the Paris?

Yes, it was! I must admit I was fairly certain that it was Wyatt & Tizard but could find no mention on the forum. Thank you 20A-MH.

Wyatt & Tizard was a superb model business & shop. The Experimental & model shop in Ford St, & Finisters in Humber Rd, concentrated on ready to run, plus spares & so on, whilst Wyatt & Tizard stocked a huge range of brass & white-metal kits. They were also stockists of the Hamblings & Romford range, used by scratch builders. Gosh, stepping back fifty years with this memory. A chap called Barrie, opened a model shop in Sewall Highway, just in time as Wyatt & Tizard were closing, Finisters had moved to Corris in Wales, whilst the Ford St shop moved around a bit before he retired.

Yes, W&T was a good shop. I worked near the junction of East Street/Paynes Lane - so most Friday afternoons were spent in the shop. I remember a very expensive, for the time, Trix OO gauge Class 52 (Western).

I've got it in my head that the person who owned Unit Sales started out selling rolls of wallpaper from the boot of his car, or am I dreaming this?

Unit sales was formed in 1968 by 3 Coventry men. Mr Roy Catlin (a paint & wallpaper salesman), Mr Pat Kelly & Mr Frank Boylan. They went on to have shops in Coventry, Nuneaton, Hinckley, Wolverhampton, Cheltenham & Oxford.

Thanks 20A-MH, I had dreamt it then.