Quote Originally Posted by bozzer View Post
I remember Coopers in Pall Mall, Hanley.

It must have been there mid to late 70's as I remember drooling in through the window when I was about 17. There were also Army and Navy shops at the bottom of Tunstall ( Highgate ) and in Burslem ( near Woolworths ) that sold airguns stacked on racks. I drooled in those shops also. I eventually bought my own first airgun from the Army and Navy in Burslem aged 17 ... a Webley Hawk mk3 in 0.22.

That area of Hanley was almost on the outskirts then with the main, and busier, shopping areas further up with Lewis's ( with the massive steel ice man sculpture on the front ), BHS, M&S, Woollies etc. If you'd strayed down to Pall Mall area it almost seemed like a run down area where the pavements always seemed grubby ... and weirdly cold, always, like it never got any sun, and an icy wind rushing through it.

If you crossed over the cross roads from Coopers and headed further downbank there was Tung's camera shop on the right. A weird little shop that was like an Aladdin's cave of old Nikons crammed everywhere. Old man Tung ran it with a few of his daughters. All had very very broad Chinese accents and they always said the same thing when showing you a camera and offering you a price ... " This is a buy it now, today, not tomorrow, just today, now offer ... if you go away to think or come back tomorrow then the price will have gone up ... this is a buy it now offer ... so best buy it now ". It was my first experience of hard sales. Great little shop. That's gone too.

Ironically ... that area of Hanley ( which is the real Stoke ... there is no actual Stoke ) is now a culture centre. The pavements have all been redone and there are some nicer shops and lots of little cafes with outdoor continental seating areas. The old picture house ( that's cinema to you young'uns ) was all refurbished as the Regent Theatre, and the theatre has spread around the corner to Pall Mall, as can be seen in the more modern photo in that article.

Old times eh!
You've triggered some memories there Col.

Steve C.