23 November                                                      Vivien Lovett

“Kennard’s - The Store Whose Goods Cost Less

Than They Should”

…. and then there was the baboon that escaped from the menagerie in the basement and sat on the roof, watched by shoppers. The arcade and the penny-slot machines. The exhibitions: of a doodlebug, of the Daily Mirror’s pin-up Jane having a bath. The restaurant where the band played throughout lunch and where impressive trade or charity dinners were held in the evening. What can you say about a store where the Tannoy announced “Kennard’s calling. Kennard’s calling” and closing time was played out by Gracie Fields singing “Now is the hour when we must say goodbye”?