Vanishing local shop outlets.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Sorry got side tracked.

My nearest "local" tool shop is about 15 miles away. I don't go there very often but I do use the Internet regularly for routine purchases. Prices are reasonable, quality pretty good generally – and of course it's convenient. It's a pity that 'local' shops (and pubs too!) are closing – and I wish it was otherwise.

But as I don't use them very much myself, I can't really complain.

IanT

[andrew winksParticipant @andrewwinks64215]

Hey Ian, the sidetrack brings back memories. I recall working on a Triumph Stag..local solicitor and man about town owned it, claimed I could tune it like no other. I also recall Leyland Marina…what a dog..with apologies to the British motor industry! You either loved them or hated them..and mechanics, it was the latter. They were new around the early 70's in Australia.

Jesse, I wont be around either but my fear is that my great grandson will be known, in the Chinese owned home in Australia, as Jeeves…..

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

All these arguments about foreign good of low quality being imported into Britain is far from new, I'v just been looking at a volume of "English Mechanic and Mirror of Science" from 1868, first was the import of railway iron from Belgium, much cheaper than British iron. Then an article about watches, and the cheap, low quality imports from Switzerland. A couple of adds from the same publication Wanted, a good second hand lathe,9in centre, 5ft, or6ft, ironplaned bed, back gear, slide and hand rests, large face plate and chucks, with a few tools. Also a good large sized portable forge suitable for ordinary rough work, and a small anvil.-Lowest price and full particulars may be sent toARTIZAN, Gosport, Hants.

For Sale—Several Turning lathed, 4in, 5in, and 6in centres, new and second hand; also second hand planning machine, plane 2ft 9in by 14in. Several sets of lathe castings–R. PEARE, 77 Great Suyffolk street, Borough, London.

Ian S C

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

When I was a maintenance electrician on the shop floor I had to buy and use my own tools, this was normal then. Now all the skilled men in our plant are not allowed to use their own tools and were instructed to take their own tools home. If this common practice now then skilled men will not be shopping locally for their tools and large business will have an account at major distributors. Oxford had one toolshop where you could buy toolmaking equipment but they are long gone, the surviving tool merchant leans more to the building and mechanic type tools, they are willing to order more exotic stuff but you fall back to the see and feel problem. Oxford is not an industrial town as anyone who has visited will know. The car factory had to be quite self sufficient compared to the midland plants which had the workshop to the world on their doorstep. Shopping in Oxford is a wretched experience as the car is seen as a cash cow, city centre parking is at Dick Turpin rates and even a visit by park and ride will cost £4.70 plus fuel for the round trip. I don't think local shopping has a future except for clothes and restaurants, on a rare clothes shopping trip the lady on the till asked me if I had enjoyed my shop? I had to say no but it was unavoidable as sons graduation meant I needed a new suit and the internet is not the best place to buy a suit. Despite postage costs I think the internet has local shopping beaten hands down, wide choice, keen prices, no parking or fuel cost and open 24/7, what is not to like? With many suppliers able to get your purchase to you in a couple of days this is often quicker and more convenient than trying to fit in a shopping trip.

Mike – totally sold on the internet!

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Strange how the goalposts move, back in the early sixties it was Jap crap, then Taiwanese crap, now Chinese crap which it now being overrun with likewise Indian variety. Better quality demands better selling prices, despite the Yorkshire colloquialism, Tha dowent get owt for nowt. How highly regarded is Japanese and Taiwanese equipment now?

Regards Ian.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Give it twenty years and the cheap stuff will be coming from Africa, everyone else will have moved up one more rung on the ladder.

Neil

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Yep and they'll still be using the original manufacturing drawings that all the rest have used, so you'll still have to sort the electrics and clean out Capetown sand from the castings.

Regards Ian.

[LambtonParticipant @lambton]

When I was a boy about 60 years ago there was a very good tool shop in South Shield called Frank Lakes. I remember drooling over the two window displays one full of Moore & Wright and Eclipse type metal working tools and the other window showing a range of Stanley and Record wood working planes etc. How I longed to go in and buy some of these goodies but I could not afford them on my pocket money.

Fast forward to the late 1990's when I paid a visit to South Shields after many years away in the soft south I went to find Frank Lakes shop only to find that it only sold wallpaper, paint and general house hold hardware. Now I understand it has totally gone a victim of the big sheds no doubt. But I still have my memories of this once "Aladdin's Cave"

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

If you start from the Haymarket Premier Inn in Edinburgh and then walk up the street towards town you will come across a Hardware store on the right, if you look in the window you will see that they sell second had tools, ive had bore gauges, drills, micrometers and various other bits and pieces. Its been a year since I last worked in Edinburgh but its fair to assume they are still there.

Martin P

[Jesse Hancock 1Participant @jessehancock1]

I think we could set the music to this song now aye? We all seem to be saying the same thing no matter where we live.

Napoleon called the British a bunch of shop keepers or words to that effect but it seems it no longer applies.

I went to the open air market with a neighbour this Sunday morn as she wanted to stock-up on meat for her freezer. First thing I noticed having not been there for years was how few outlets are left there.

However I managed to pick up a pack of drill bits and a few other odds and sods.

The packaging says BERGEN titanium drill bit set. 13pieces from 6.5 to 1.5mm and all for £3.99. Titanium coated possibly. They are hex drive meant to go in a snap fit type drill. I worry not, since they will fit in a normal three jaw drill chuck. So if I manage to drill one hole with each drill I'll say fair enough. I worry that if the drill grabs there's no second chance, it has to break since they can't slip. No drilling of important blind holes then.

I'll keep you posted Jesse

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 25/01/2015 13:43:15

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

By chance I found, on the internet, that a local trailer manufacturer sells about 3 sizes of angle iron retail, obviously just because they have a load as part of their work. I wonder if other businesses could be persuaded that if they have it in stock anyway it wouldn't hurt their bottom line to make a few extra sales.
Years ago there was a little business next to school that was getting loads of transistors like OC35 in cheap (probably rejects from Mullard) and testing them to sell unbranded. The women testing them would happily sell a couple to a schoolboy and whether the money went into their handbag or the petty cash I doubt the managers minded as it was just like a 'tip' for the workers.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Years ago there was a little business next to school that was getting loads of transistors like OC35 in cheap (probably rejects from Mullard) and testing them to sell unbranded.

And the ones they rejected probably got sent to Clive Sinclair…

Neil

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

We have a well known hardware store in town, been there forever. If You want anything now they hand You a catalog and tell You to find it and they will order it in when the order is big enough. Why go to them? Might as well order from the comfort of My chair and bypass the trip in town and waiting.They wonder where their business is going.

[Richard MarksParticipant @richardmarks80868]

I shall continue with the same old rant! if the councils were to abolish parking charges between friday evening and monday morning people will use the town centres as there are more products available than supermarkets which would then enliven the high street and would encourage new business, I also think that huge supermarkets should pay a levy for taking away the high street trade, personally I only use supermarkets if I have to, better meat from the local butcher not unhung fresh tough meat, decent bread from our local baker not steam baked bread that is stale the next morning, even the local DIY has stuff you cant get in the big stores, and another thing! as young people dont have the DIY skills that we have attained, they still wonder why the shelf fell down when they used the reccommended product and read the instructions and it went on the wall ok only to fall off taking the wallpaper with it, true story, also now get comments like "why does your varnished wood shine when mine is all cloudy", blame the EU for that what with banning high vc products etc,time for tea.

[korbyParticipant @korby]

Twas a sad day when Turtles of Croydon shut down.

[Halton TankParticipant @haltontank]

Richard,

It is a well known fact, that todays shoppers cannot walk further than 200 yds from their car. I live not far from Reading in Berkshire, the centre has two main streets parallel to each other, the main street Broad Street and to the north Friar Street. Since the building of the Oracle Shopping Mall to south of Broad Street, Friar Street has declined as shops are turned into theme pubs or hotels. Also roads radiating from the town centre the shops there are being turned into offices.

Regards Luigi.

[john jennings 1Participant @johnjennings1]

The list of closed tool and material shops reads like a commentary on my workshop life. Although there is nothing like browsing boxes of bits and stuff face to face the WEB does provide a different and potentially wider source of items.

Advice would be don't be in an out let when it disappears – you might go with it!

JOHN

[Cyril BonnettParticipant @cyrilbonnett24790]

I had one of the British attempts to compete with the Japanese motorcycle industry, a Norton Commando MK3 Interstate. Recently I saw one offered at close to 5 grand in original condition, that made me laugh. I paid £1100 for one straight from the factory back in the eighties. Original condition included, porous front forks, chromium plated disks that soon lost the plating, exhaust pipes that kept coming loose, throttle cable physically so short the bike accelerated when turned left, rev cable that pulled on the bouncing engine casing and showered my right leg with oil, a prestolite starter that couldn't turn the engine over without help from the kick start and finally valve springs that lost their spring after 6 months. A Honda four cured those woes.

The demise of British industry has to be laid fairly and squarely with the bloody mindedness of both employees and employers aided by unions and politician, all greedy for money and power.

That the Japanese could produce a motorcycle that could travel at 110mph hour after hour without oil leaks or bits falling off and tick over the next day as sweetly as when new should have given British workers a hint of things to come, but no it was head in sand and 'buy British'

Even the 'new' British Triumph when it appeared looked more like a Japanese clone than some of the Japanese twin clones of British bikes that we used to see early on.

Here in Scotland in my two local towns, individual shops are fast disappearing, one has thirteen charity shops in its high street. The out of town shopping centres 70 and 90 miles away beckon.

At he end of the day it us the consumer that sent these shops into history, only now when they have gone do we bemoan the good old days, Bit like building small steam engines, all huff and puff about the past.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

The other thing I miss is the old Army Disposal shops. In the '70s they were a treasure trove for boys (young and old), packed with everything from old uniforms and great coats to aircraft radio sets, bayonets, obscure gauges and dials and unidentifiable widgets that were always an adventure to trawl through and a great source of hobby materials.

[Shaun TrewinnardParticipant @shauntrewinnard48432]

Somebody mentioned the "Tool Shop" in Colyton. I often visit the shop as David, the proprietor, offers absolutely first class service and help. For instance I recently bought a second hand Jacobs drill chuck for about the same price as a new Chinese/Indian jobbie. There is no comparison as to the quality and sheer "feel" of a decent tool.

Unfortunately the Tool Shop is up for sale which will possibly deprive me of a first class supplier. Maybe someone out here will have the inclination to take it over and carry on with the good work – Shaun

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