Wednesday 8 October 2008

LITTLEWOODS CHANGES COLOURS

The top picture of the Littlewoods entrance area was taken on a rainy day in the mid 70's.
The Overgate store stretched from the Old Steeple area to the Boots corner zone.
The ground floor sold clothing, household goods and food, while upstairs there was a café/restaurant whose tables I remember had sugar kept in large glass shakers instead of bowls, which folk often mistook for salt. Many plates of chips were ruined as a consequence!
Next to Littlewoods on the photo is the small yellow & blue baker shop of Andrew G Kidd, and just out of view with its red shop sign glimmering behind the trees, is Dixons, who sold TV's, audio equipment, cameras etc.
Then for some reason, in the mid 80's, Littlewoods store changed its colour scheme from blue to orange.
Anyway, the reason for the crowds hanging around in the second picture was because it was Rag Day.
Students floats, pipe band and so on.

10 comments:

  1. I remember going to the Littlewoods cafe as a wee lad during the early 1980s, when shopping with my mum, gran and granddad. We would either go there, to the cafe within the old Tesco in the Wellgate (right behind the toy section!), or to the cafe in British Home Stores.

    I remember that the Littlewoods cafe had a bizarre Generation Game-approach to washing up, whereby you (or a waitress, I can't quite remember) would put their tray/dishes onto a conveyor belt, and thus they would slide (I assume) onto the kitchen - as a nipper, I used to sit at the table transfixed by empty cups and saucers moving slowly across the belt, wondering where on earth they would end up!

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  2. Graeme I remember that too! the conveyor belt. Must have been cutting edge technology back then.

    I think I only once made it into The Amber Room which was the smaller, gloomy tearoom in Littlewoods. It looked out on the covered precinct in the Overgate, and I think it was designed with the child-less adult in mind. It was just that bit more mysterious.

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  3. I recall the small-check decor on the walls of Littlewoods cafe. The Formica tabletops had the same pattern

    I loved the place, the smell of vinegar, the constant hum of conversation and the rattling of cutlery. Unfortunately, my abiding memory is of getting pepper in my eyes LOL!

    A

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  4. The wee AJ Kidd shop next to Littlewoods was a godsend for us, the workers in Overgate.
    Although I was one level below the manager in Claude Alexander, where I worked from 1973 to '78, I took on the duty of going to AJK for the morning tea break vittles (normally a junior's responsibility), so I could make sure my particular rolls were ordered correctly - "Two fried egg rolls, sunny side up, softly fried..."
    8=)

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  5. Hello, I am just asking if anyone has any info/memories I can show my Grandad he used to be a manager of Dundee littlewoods and I am putting a few photos etc together for him. Hes nearly 80 so 60s to 90s would be great!

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    Replies
    1. What is your grandas name

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    2. I might remember some stuff about your grandad. I worked at Littlewoods from 1971-1978.

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  6. I have this pic, of Littlewoods under construction circa 1969. Any use?

    http://i.imgur.com/l9SE86m.jpg

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  7. I remember the cafe upstairs it seemed so modern in the 70's , the apple pie with cream was the best I ever tasted. It had a conveyor belt. The future had arrived

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  8. I worked at Littlewoods as a Saturday boy in 1970. When I left Teachers Training College, I was taken on fulltime. I met my wife there. I was put in charge of a team of labourers when the store was enlarged to remove all unwanted stock, materials and rubble. The store then had a second floor. I was promoted to the position of Assistant Food Manager and then moved to Edinburgh. I was then, the Assistant Food Manager in the largest food hall in Europe. This store was located in Princes Street. I was in charge of a staff of 30 at 20 years old.

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