A Dewhurst the Butcher's shop used to be on practically every High Street in most towns and cities in the UK up until the early 1990s. I worked for them for about six years in Derby. I never got involved in displays as elaborate as these ones but we prided ourselves on creating an attractive display of meat every working day. See this earlier blog linked below for further enlightenment.
Fit as a butcher's dog - the Dewhurst years.
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| The PILE IT HIGH approach. |
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| Bye Bye Family Butcher |
4 comments:
I remember well the Dewhurts chain, they were everywhere and always busy and reliable.
That last picture is so sad.
I know it's not quite the same but our local garden centre closes in 2 weeks' time. Seen off by B&Q and supermarkets, who sell periodic "special purchases" just at the right time to kill their trade. It's been there for thirty years and at one time had a great teashop and was buzzing with people any day of the week. It has been noticeably quieter the last year, maybe because of the recession but probably because of the huge B&Q warehouse only a few miles away.
The really sad thing is that this must be what people want, to drive to a big store, stock up on special offers that make them feel they've got a bargain and drive home.
The trouble is, who in B&Q or Morrisons can tell you what the best soil is for growing a certain plant?
I suppose you have to do this one-stop shopping so you can get home fast enough to have the time to do all your research on the internet.
It's a funny old world and I know I'm showing my age now, but I preferred to have someone to ask, and chat to and sympathise with about their lumbago. I don't enjoy having to ask a spotty oik who doesn't know what rhubarb is never mind where the hell you should plant it.
I agree with you Jean. I think that product knowledge is the most important thing in a business. If you are going to buy something who are you most likely to trust - the person who says "dunno" or the person who tells you all about the provenance and cooking/growing conditions and methods and a bit about their 'lumbago'. I know which I'd chose.
We had one in Beeston. Think it is now a coffee shop. A shame all the old high street names have disappeared; Bejam, Timothy Whites, Rumbelows, and more lately Woolworths, Dixons and John Menzies
Dewhursts meat displays were a work of art, & I was sad to see them all close. Whilst I sometimes use a supermarket for meat (not that we can afford to eat much these days), I also go to a local farm shop, where the butchers are brilliant, give lots of advice, & they even prepared a fresh rabbit for me in moments - skinned, gutted etc before my eyes. They are expensive, but the meat is mostly home grown on their farm, or from a farm nearby, & farmers have to make a decent living.
I agree with Jean about garden centres v B&Q. No contest there, garden centres are far more informative. i suppose most people have no choice but to go for the cheaper options these days, which is a shame, as it can be a false economy. I much prefer knowlege over cost.
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