Joan Barry Bridal Shop

[bushbaby 3]

can anyone remember joan barrys bridal shop on high street it was were W,H, Smiths stands today .in the sixties nearly all brides went there for their wedding gowns.it was a very elite shop and you were given exellent service by their staff

[lynblu]

Didn't get married till 77 but remember going to a few Bridal Exhibitions there. Can remember buying a 'maxi' red cardigan from there, very expensive & I thought I looked the Bees Knees

[Sultana]

Do you know, I think I do remember gazing at bridal gowns in their windows, it's a long time ago though.

[merrydown]

Yes, I remember the Joan Barrie shop and another shop selling bridal wear was Lewis' Fashions, near the bottom of The Moor (I worked there when I first left school). It was very "high class" and besides wedding and bride's maids dresses, sold outfits for the mothers of the bride and groom, cocktail dresses, evening gowns and real fur coats. I used to think that most of the customers were very "posh".

 

In those days, there were quite a few ladies dress shops in town. I remember Neals, Newmans, Noels, Stuarts, Van Allens and I think there was one called Haywoods. Does anyone else remember any of these, or can add to them?

[bushbaby 3]

merrydown i worked at van allens for a short while just after i left school i was a trainee window dresser didnt like it though didnt stay very long the customers were young but the assistants were old everyhthing was so formal as the junior i was last inthe pecking order one of my tasks was to fetch the sandwiches for lunch i can remember some of the asssistants used get me to bring there shopping as well being young and very nieve i used to do this it never crossed my mind to tell them were they could shove their shopping i dont think you would get the young of today fetching and carrying liked i did

[Fiat500]

I got my bridal dress from Joan Barrys... £25, bridesmaid dresses £7.50 each. That was 1975. The full wedding cost less than £200. Those were the days.

[bushbaby 3]

me too i think it cost round about 20 pounds makes you think doesnt it you couldnt get one shoe for that now

[poppins]

Yes I remember John Barrys, loved looking in the window, although I loved the name of the Bridal shop down Hillsborough called 'White Lace and Promises' I suppose it's still there as it wasn't too long ago.

[merrydown]

Bushbaby 3, like you, I was also the shop junior and as well as fetching the lunches, running errands and generally fetching and carrying for the more senior staff, I had to make tea and coffee, mop and vacuum the floors, wash dusters and even clean the loo and wouldn't have dared to refuse to do such jobs.

 

As you say, things were very formal then and we weren't allowed to call each other by our Christian names, even if someone was only a year or two older and especially on the shop floor. There was 1st sales, 2nd sales and so on and the manageress would sit in her little office and when a customer entered, she would shout "Forward please!" and depending the level of seniority an assistant would rush forward to approach the customer. As the junior, I was only allowed to serve day wear so had to pass anything else on to a more senior assistant. I used to hate it when I had to serve a customer because if she left without buying anything I would then have to go and explain the reason why to the manageress.

 

Regular customers and those that had spent a lot of money, would be given a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit (another of my tasks) to have while she waited for me to pack her purchases. That involved careful folding and lots of tissue paper, not just shoving items into a carrier bag like nowadays.

 

At least things were a little more relaxed when we worked together at the post office, hey?

[yesugei]

I bought my honey moon outfit from NEWMANS and I think Anne Lennards was a bridal shop.