Memories of working in the Owen Owen Clayton Square store during the 1940’s and 50’s from Joyce Shelley
This image is from an official postcard of the Owen Owen Clayton Square store from the late 1940’s. Liverpool’s most progressive store was how the Owen Owen emporium in Clayton Square was billed back in the 1940’s. Someone who remembers the shop with particular affection is Joyce Shelley from Bootle who worked there when she was known as Miss Gaskell.
Joyce says, “The picture shows the splendid concave windows and arcade before the alterations were made while I was working there. They were really happy years working with superb staff, management and directors and of course all our lovely customers.”
There’s also a lovely photo taken on a staff outing to Blackpool circa 1953 of Joyce on the left, Miss Wolsey (Mrs Jean Woods) centre and Miss Search (Mrs Margaret Groom) on the right.
We have a wonderful audio recording which Joyce made in July 2000 with the North West Sound Archive where she talks to oral historian Anne Crowther about her time working at the Owen Owen Clayton Square store. She started working at the store after leaving school initially in the glove department and describes what life was like working there during the war and also how life changed after the war.
She has fantastic memories of a quartet playing in the 4th floor restaurant (pictured) while afternoon tea was being served. She also recalls graduate trainees working at the store including none other than Henry Cotton who went onto become Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside and the First Chancellor of Liverpool’s John Moores University.
Joyce left the store in 1959 after giving birth to her daughter. She continued to shop at the Clayton Square Store and had an account there but never returned to work there. If anyone remembers Miss Gaskell or has any memories they would like to share of their time working in the Clayton Square store then we’d love to hear from you.
