James Pellow – Choosing the Men’s Department stock

Simon: What was the type of clothes that were being stocked then? Was it formal suits or casual or …?

James: Well, suits certainly suits yes, and I suppose in a way it was more formal than it would be today, certainly, yes.

Simon: But was it a mixture of suits and sort of weekend wear?

James: Oh yes, yes.

Simon: Ok. And who would choose the stock?

James: Well, that would be Mr Guy, David Guy. He was the Buyer ‘cos that’s what we had in those days. We had Buyers, yes, so Mrs Pope for instance in the Children’s Department, she was the Buyer, and so the Reps would come round maybe twice a year, something like that to show the Buyers the next season’s range with the cloth swatches and that sort of thing which I wasn’t involved in of course, and then that would be ordered for the next season. And I do remember, I don’t know why, but Miss Keeling was the Head of the Ladies Coats Department and that was in Union Street, but for some reason she came over to my Department one day to meet the Rep for buying the next season’s range, and I don’t know why it was in my Department, so I kind of had an ear to listen to what was going on, and I … again this comes down to my sense of humour really, and I remember it to this day. She was buying fur coats, and he was showing her the swatches and she picked on up and she sniffed it and she said, “Yes” she said, “well it looks like skunk and it feels like skunk and (sniffs) oh by golly it is skunk.” And I thought that was so charming. She was an absolute delight you see and that’s what made it so good.

Simon: What was the reaction of the Rep?

James: I can’t remember, but he’d probably heard it before (laughs).

Simon: (laughs). Was it actually skunk?

James: No, she was just making a joke (laughs).