Author Topic: Lewis's in Birmingham  (Read 62038 times)

Shakey

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #44 on: December 18, 2011, 09:19:42 PM »
I remember Lewis's with the toy department at the top and at Christmas we used to queue with Mum waiting to see Santa and all the side shows with puppets and figures as you queued for the grotto. Great memories from the 60's. Christmas today just isn't a patch on those days. Does anyone know if John Lewis is connected to Lewis's in Birmingham?

Mogmeister

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #45 on: December 18, 2011, 10:43:31 PM »
Shakey
Dont think so , i have a friend that works in the House of Frazer , and she tells me they are different companies .

Shakey

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #46 on: December 19, 2011, 11:50:21 AM »
Ok thanks. Thought there may be a family connection there. Still the best store I have ever been in at christmas time. Merry Christmas.

Pamela

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #47 on: December 19, 2011, 01:44:54 PM »
I have just looked on the internet under Wikipedia Lewis is not affiliated to the old Lewis's in Birmingham.  The first Lewis's opened in Liverpool in 1856,the Birmingham store was opened in 1885 by the suggestion of Joseph Chamberlin

lady leaver

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #48 on: January 13, 2012, 12:08:22 AM »
Does anyone know why Lewis's closed down?
 
I was born in 1944, my father used to take me to Lewis's every Saturday to visit the zoo.  I loved the moving stairs and I remember queueing to see Father Christmas.  I always thought the Grotto was magnificent.
 
Regards
Shirley

Phil

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #49 on: January 13, 2012, 08:23:41 AM »
Hi Shirley
 
Welcome to our little forum, Lewis's problem I suppose was the same as all the other chain stores that have closed down. Probably a failure to change with the times and huge ever increasing overheads.
 
It's hardly understandable as I never saw any of the three stores that I ever used anywhere near to empty. So perhaps it was a little more than turnover that caused it's closure.
 
Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

maggie

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #50 on: January 13, 2012, 08:30:11 AM »
Kia Ora Shirley,
 I also have happy memories of the Zoo at J Lewis but I also
remember most the animals being taken away at the start of the war, mainly only small stuff was there later, rabbits  and
coloured mice and hampsters,
Do enjoy posting on here it is a varied composition so you
will definately find something of interest.
 
 
do unto others as you would be done by

buster

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #51 on: January 13, 2012, 11:16:10 AM »
lewis,s was great got lots off things for my wedding they sold most things. After I got married I would shop there for food because I worked in the city and I could go in my lunch hour, we got things daily in the 60s and newly wed we did not have fridges.

Phil

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #52 on: January 13, 2012, 12:40:09 PM »
I thought Lewis's did the best boiled ham on the bone that could be bought anywhere in the Midlands I remember buying a whole joint from there one Christmas.
 
Another good food item was their meat and potato pies. My grandmother worked there as a cleaner in the 50's & 60's and she used to bring me and my uncle who was the same age as myself one home for dinner each day. Which we ate with a tin of oxtail soup, before we scuttled off back to school.
 
Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

buster

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #53 on: January 14, 2012, 04:37:16 PM »
Oxtail soup is still my favourite when I was a kid we would put lots of bread in it to fill us up and sometimes potatoes simple food but feeling

planetmalc

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Re: Lewis's in Birmingham
« Reply #54 on: January 15, 2012, 04:10:17 PM »
Hi Shirley
 
Welcome to our little forum, Lewis's problem I suppose was the same as all the other chain stores that have closed down. Probably a failure to change with the times and huge ever increasing overheads.
 
It's hardly understandable as I never saw any of the three stores that I ever used anywhere near to empty. So perhaps it was a little more than turnover that caused it's closure.
 
Phil
   
Lewis's always lived on the edge.   They ran at a loss for almost the entire year and relied on Xmas to bring in the cash that kept their heads above water.  :-\
There's no B/S on Planet Malc.


 

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