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Old 29th Dec 2016, 10:50 pm   #381
McMurdo
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I remember in the early 80s (maybe even late 70s) going to a very old fashioned Radio and TV shop in the Stoke district (Fenton?) that I think was called Chadwicks.
When I worked in Stoke 1987-2009 Chadwicks was in Hartshill, halfway between Stoke town and Newcastle Under Lyme. They seemed to have an endless supply of oval loudspeakers which we used for the wall-intercoms at Kipling's bakery. I think by then his son ran the shop and later diversified into remote control cars, trainsets etc.

In Fenton the TV shop was 'Mays' and was on City Road near to The Newtown Hotel. This was a seriously old shop with a curtain seperating the back room from the front. Old radios sat on shelves covered in dust, the windows were filthy and there was something like a 40W bulb lighting the front room. It was dusty and there were cardboard boxes everywhere full of things like fire and kettle elements, out of date lampshades and bulbs in corrugated tubes. We used to go up if we were after something desperately for a job such as the odd resistor, fuse or diode. I seem to remember Mr May used to look annoyed he'd been disturbed. (there was also a May's TV shop in Hanley up til recently, don't know if there's a connection).

The attached pic is of the block where Mays was, and, as per usual, is now populated by your typical small town retailer. I'm sure Mays' door was on the right of the shop window, but can't remember as I always walked to it from our works.
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Old 29th Dec 2016, 11:11 pm   #382
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In Fenton the TV shop was 'Mays' and was on City Road near to The Newtown Hotel. This was a seriously old shop with a curtain seperating the back room from the front. Old radios sat on shelves covered in dust, the windows were filthy and there was something like a 40W bulb lighting the front room. It was dusty and there were cardboard boxes everywhere full of things like fire and kettle elements, out of date lampshades and bulbs in corrugated tubes. We used to go up if we were after something desperately for a job such as the odd resistor, fuse or diode. I seem to remember Mr May used to look annoyed he'd been disturbed. (there was also a May's TV shop in Hanley up til recently, don't know if there's a connection).
Kevin, it was Mays in Fenton that I went in! The old geezer was just as you described and as I recall, 'the back' could easily be seen from 'the front' of the shop, I guess the curtains were open. Red faced, he was sitting in front of a roaring fire and not knowing me from Adam he soon got me doing some menial job, something like putting a plug on a kettle, I don't recall exactly! He didn't have anything that I wanted, but he seemed happy to quiz me, and once he knew that I could handle a screwdriver and a pair of cutters, give me a job to do! That was one blast from the past. I reckon the event took place in about 1980.
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Old 30th Dec 2016, 12:38 am   #383
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Kevin, Chadwicks! Yes, I remember them well. Only two weeks ago I visited N.Staffs, and on the Saturday, as my N.Staffs BAD cold started, I drove from Stoke to Newcastle, noting that there was no sign of the Chadwicks I visited regularly whilst at school just across the road. 1953 was my first visit probably, and I still called there for bits for a few decades. Mr. Chadwick was usually in, but it was Alan who usually served. Always a cheerful smile from both of them. I bought my first crystal set bits there, then later the 3S4 valve for my first one valver. If they had still been open, cold or no cold, I would have stopped and probably still be there! I also turned left, past where Copes had a branch (Motor cycles), then past the old school, 64 years since my first time. For some reason, whilst the name of Mays is familiar, I can't place them, but I MUST have visited as I knew Fenton very well.
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Old 8th Jan 2017, 11:51 am   #384
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Hi All

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Lasky's or Proops in Tottenham Court Road, in the late 1950s I used to make a visit nearly every Sat afternoon after finishing work at Decca TV in Brixton Road, I then walked down to Lisle St and Little Newport St.

Sid Proops who was one of 2 brothers, well after all the ex Gov shops had gone from the west end, had another premises in a converted car park in Camden Town, this was in the late 80s where I used to buy colour tv panels plus loads of other parts and then sell them at Manor Supplies and Senz Componants in Southend. I used to go out with £30-£50 and come back with £200-£300,
To digress slightly, I went on a visit to London about 18 Months ago I usually park in the car park at Stanmore and then train in, but this time there were no spaces so I came out and as I slowly looked for a parking space in the ajoining road this guy almost threw himself at my car and asked if I needed to park and I could park on his drive (it was cheaper than the station carpark), after I had parked I asked the guy for for his telephone number and he gave me a card the name on the card was Proops, I asked if he had a brother, It came out that this guy was the uncle of Sid Proops who had, it turned out, had passed away some years earlier, what a coincidence

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Old 8th Jan 2017, 11:57 am   #385
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Default Re: Bygone radio traders

I haven't been to London's Edgeware Road for many years, but no doubt all the once-familiar electronic component & surplus parts shops have long gone from there.
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Old 8th Jan 2017, 4:32 pm   #386
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I have rarely visited London, but quite a few years ago I tried to find the fabled stamping grounds of the bygone magazine ads. One or two pale imitations, but no prizes.
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Old 8th Jan 2017, 6:33 pm   #387
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As far as I know there are no component shops left in Edgware Road. The last one was Henry's Radio at 404-406, it was still going 5 years ago but was concentrating on CCTV and music-type speakers. Still had a few components, but it was clear they were clearing them out. Now they are no longer there (I think the name lives on, but only as a CCTV shop elsewhere in London).

And to think that when I was a boy it was a treat to go to the Edgware Road and poke in Henry's, Electro-Tech, HL Smiths, and later Marshalls, Technomatic and T. Powell.
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Old 9th Jan 2017, 7:11 pm   #388
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Edgeware Road, Lisle Street, sadly now no longer the mecca for electronics-enthusiasts.

[In times past Lisle Street and its environs were also a focus for the commercial sex trade: I wonder how many marriages were disrupted when a husband said he'd been down there 'looking for radio parts' and his wife didn't believe him?]

Tottenham Court Road in the 1990s was the place to go for 'grey import' computers ~luggables~ and laptops especially. Very much the Del-boy "no income-tax no VAT no warrantee" end of the market.

Someone mentioned Lasky's: I have fond memories of them - I made a bit of money on the side driving down to Lasky's warehouse in the back-end of London and buying up a batch of tuners/amplifiers/record-decks/speakers then lugging them back in my Ford Escort to mid-wales and selling them to students. Laskys had bought-up a big batch which was badged "SeoUm" or "SEOUM" - a brand which I'd never come across before but the kit seemed OK - and were pushing these out from the back of their stores as fast as they could get cars/vans in and out.

This would have been around 1979-1980: I distinctly remember asking on the [naughty] AM CB for directions to Laskys warehouse!
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Old 9th Jan 2017, 8:29 pm   #389
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Default Re: Bygone radio traders

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Laskys had bought-up a big batch which was badged "SeoUm" or "SEOUM" - a brand which I'd never come across before but the kit seemed OK!
Korean? http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/seoum_m...r_sr_3220.html
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Old 9th Jan 2017, 9:01 pm   #390
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Default Re: Bygone radio traders

Could very well have been. I didn't dig too deeply - Lasky's offered a 12-month guarantee on even their 'box-shifted' gear - and to be honest I never needed to send anything back!

A student could spend £100 of his/her grant with me and get a good-looking tuner/amp/deck/speakers on which to play The Police's Regatta de Blanc or Blondie's Parallel Lines at worryingly-loud levels. There was a later "Seoum" branded turntable/cassette-deck which performed rather well too [specially for copying vinyl LPs to cassette... don't tell the copyright-police!]

These days I kinda miss the likes of Lasky's: they sold good reliable mid-range kit at prices normal people could afford.
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Old 15th Jan 2017, 4:25 pm   #391
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I did my five year Radio and TV apprenticeship in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, in the 50'. There were four R/TV Shops, W E Carew, in Tudor square, were I worked, now a cafe; Lewis?, now a bread shop; Pen Radio, now flats and Jazz Radio which is still open today and run by the same family!
My shop sold, amongst others KB and there was a large painting on the wall outside showing a luxury Cruise ship, Queen Mary/Elizabeth possibly, saying KB was used on this ship.
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Old 15th Jan 2017, 8:00 pm   #392
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Originally Posted by G6Tanuki View Post
Edgeware Road, Lisle Street, sadly now no longer the mecca for electronics-enthusiasts.

[In times past Lisle Street and its environs were also a focus for the commercial sex trade: I wonder how many marriages were disrupted when a husband said he'd been down there 'looking for radio parts' and his wife didn't believe him?]
That reminded me:

Around 25 years ago I spent several months working in a theatre in Paris. A short walk away there was a traditional radio surplus and components shop, very useful for obtaining technical spares in a hurry. It was called Zeus Electronic.
This shop was in the Rue de Budapest, very close to the Saint-Lazaire railway station. Judging by the large number of, er, ladies hanging around in doorways, there were certain similarities with 1960's Lisle Street. It certainly wasn't a road one would want to admit to having visited.

A quick look on Google Earth street view indicates that, unsurprisingly, Zeus Electronic is no more. But the street still looks as sleazy as ever, and the present occupant of one of the doorways has been caught on camera...
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Old 15th Jan 2017, 8:33 pm   #393
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Having now widened the net I will add another classic radio shop in a foreign capital.

In the 1990's I spent quite a lot of time in Vienna, Austria. In the Neubaugasse, a side road off one of the main shopping streets near the city centre, was a wonderful old-fashioned electronic component and surplus shop - "Radio Heitler".
It was run by a lady who I think was the widow of the original owner, who had been the well-known radio amateur OE1ER. One of the windows had an impressive display of vintage components and equipment. I think the shop finally closed in 2001 or 2002.

(and before anyone asks, no, the family were not related to anyone from Linz with a superficially similar name)

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Old 16th Jan 2017, 11:59 am   #394
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Practically every town had a government surplus radio radio store in my youth, there was even one in Orpington not far from where I lived. While I was still at school we used to holiday in Hastings I used to spend a great deal of my time in one there.

Lisle street must have had the greatest concentration of surplus shops of any where, Fleet Street had a few as well, I bought my first tape deck and amp there in Premier Radio I think it was, a Truvox deck with a mullard type 'C' amplifier.

I remember one in Wolverhampton where my uncle lived as well, don't remember what it was called but it had a sign at the low entrance to the window that said 'duck or grouse''

There was also a firm in Beckenham called 'Minters' I belive they also had a large warehouse along Bromley Common.

The first thing I did when we went to a new holiday location was seek out the local surplus store.

Peter
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Old 7th Mar 2017, 9:59 pm   #395
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Default Rummaging around electronic / radio shops

Looking through a couple of mags from the 70's EE & PE I got all nostalgic.

During the 70's/80's I travelled the length & breath of England delivering shopfittings so I was able to frequent many little electronic shops for a good rummage and a chat, there was always someone to talk to about my hobby and get advice shops like M&B (Leeds) NR Bardwells (sheffield) Crescent radio Liverpool & several in/nr Croydon etc etc There were several shops in Sheffield & Leeds.

How I miss them, that smell, the twiddly knobs, the stacks of bins full with bargain packs and the Ex Military equipment, amps & vales galore, Looking through Henry's windows and dreaming about the latest multimeter.......That touchy feely is gone.

There is less than a handful left, how times are changing rapidly. I still shop at Bardwells but the shop is not the same as it was.

My wife has just retired from her shop after 27 years it has been getting more & more difficult to compete with the internet Zombies.....I just don't think it's good for mankind.

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Old 8th Mar 2017, 9:00 am   #396
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Originally Posted by bill knox View Post
I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Lasky's or Proops in Tottenham Court Road, in the late 1950s I used to make a visit nearly every Sat afternoon after finishing work at Decca TV in Brixton Road, I then walked down to Lisle St and Little Newport St.
Yes remember them bought the little water pump and a electric motor fitted it up to pump water to a shower I made we rented a top flat in Gipsy Hill when we married in 73 we had no water pressure but work for the full 3 years we lived there loved Lasky's

Steve
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Old 8th Mar 2017, 9:33 am   #397
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Radiospares had their trade counter just off Tottenham Court road in Maple Terrace I think it was, I frequently had to go there in the '50s, accessed from Googe St tube station.

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Old 8th Mar 2017, 9:40 am   #398
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I thought their London trade counter was in Epworth Street? I used to go there in the late 70's/early 80's.
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Old 8th Mar 2017, 10:34 am   #399
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I used to buy surplus stuff from L F Hanneys in Bath, they packed up about 5 years ago. I used to love poking around in that place, always packed with interesting old equipment. Can't remember the chaps name - Reg?
It was Ray, he sold our (C.Scope) Metal Detectors, always came away with some goodies when I visited. On my first visit, I said I had an appointment to say Mr Hanney, Ray said, I hope you haven't, he's been dead for 15 years !.

Ray's wife was always in the shop whenever I called in. Our records how he closed in 2008.
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Old 8th Mar 2017, 10:36 am   #400
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M and B Services at the top of Margate High Street (Kent). Chap called Brian ran it, always a good source of components and "bits"
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