Shops of yore

Another office in New Buildings was the Coventry branch of 'The Tote' before it moved to a national headquarters at Wigan.

Just thinking of another bygone shop. The little sweet shop that stood opposite the old odeon cinema in Hertford street in the 60s. It sold sugar mice edingburgh rock,fudges,aniseed balls etc. Such treats before going into the cinema followed by tooth ache later......

It was actually the 'Empire' in Hertford Street dear.

So it was. Thankyou for telling me. The odeon must have been opposite the Herbert Art gallery I presume

It depends on the date dear. Up until 1967 that one was known as the Gaumont. There was another 'Odeon' in the early 60s but that was in Far Gosford Street

Thanks again.You are indeed a mine of information!!

I seem to recall the sweet shop opposite the Empire was called something like 'The Chocolate Box'. It always had a window display of boxes of chocolates, all of which were dummies. I remember going in there sometimes after school for a bar of chocolate. Once they were re-doing the displays and I was given some ex-display dummy chocolate bars which turned out to be made of wood. Good for pranks!

I am trying to remember the location (and the name) of a shop that I used to frequent in the late 1950's /early 60's that sold electronic components for us enthusiasts who used to dabble in home-made short-wave radios and other electronics. I think is was in Gosford street and sold not only new products, but ex-service radio gear and components. Can anyone remember it?

You don't mean Max Bux do you,think that's how it was spelt. I remember my Husband used to go there years ago for CB radio spares

That was Max Buch Cables, opposite the Paris cinema. But I think the shop DBC means was nearer to the city centre, on the other side, near the tax office. I think it was called something like R.E.P., and sold all sorts of bits for amateur radio enthusiasts. We had an amateur radio club at KHVIII school, run by a chap called Ron Hough, where we built home made radios. We used to buy all the bits from this shop and assemble them after school in the physics lab.

It was Max Busch. I used to get my cable etc from there when I used to do a bit of aerial rigging many moons ago

That's the one. Yes, it was located in that part of Gosford Street, very near an independent travel agents. There was also another shop that sold amateur radio gear, this one in Ford Street. I used to drool over the top of the range Eddistone receiver they always had in their window.

REP was in Much Park Street close to the gatehouse. During the period mentioned there was Bednell's radio and TV shop opposite Astleys in Far Gosford Street, an army surplus store directly opposite the Old Morris (tax office) and "Electronic Services" next to the Mermaid Inn in Gosford Street. There was also a Payne's TV showroom a few doors further up on the same side where the takeaway now is. I can't recall any others.

There was "TANDY" near to Fishy Moore's in Pool Meadow that sold stereos, hi-fi's, C.B's and remote control cars etc. Tandy was the British name of Radio Shack in the U.S. It was all things electronic from a d.i.y radio kit that you had to build yourself to a full (D.O.S) computer system. . Just remembered R.S.Components that had a shop in Bishop St. These shops were around in the late 1980's I think.

Yes. I'm sure you're right about where REP was. But I'm sure there was a radio spares shop by the old tax office too. That sounds like it would have been the 'Electronic Services' that you refer to. The mention of the gatehouse reminded me of the barber who was in a little prefabricated shop just past there, where my father took me for several years. He was called Rex, and had muttonchop whiskers and a handlebar moustache. He had previously been in a decrepit old shop at the other end of Much Park Street which was demolished, probably about 1962ish. He was clearly an ex-army barber who could only do one style, whatever you asked for.