A WESTBURY high street shopkeeper for over 30 years, from 1967 to 2001, has shared her fond memories of the time with White Horse News.
Pam Thomson, a former town mayor, and her late husband John Cox ran ‘Wearcraft’ ladies wear from 1967. Pam is pictured in the shop in 1990.
She said, “I expect that other readers will have been writing about Fontainville House and grounds (the former site of the High St) and of how it was used by the US army during WW2. I understand that towards the end of the war, an armoured vehicle was driven up the staircase and the ceilings collapsed!
“April 7th 1967 is a date that will always remain in my memory. It is the day that John and I moved from Salisbury and opened our shop ‘Wearcraft’, in the High Street, selling ladies wear. We leased an empty unit and with the help of a generous overdraft from the Midland Bank, were able to fit out the empty shell, buy stock and start trading.
“Later we had the opportunity to buy the freehold and the business traded until my retirement in 2001. My husband sadly passed away in 1996.
“We found Westbury to be a very pleasant and welcoming town with a strong sense of community, seldom found elsewhere. We were helped by excellent staff and we built up a strong customer base, from a wide area.
“The business had to be continually evolving and diversifying and I particularly remember the trends of 1960s mini skirts, 1970s bell bottom trousers and 1980s patterned tights and leg warmers. During the 1990s we developed a section selling branded chain store seconds, which proved to be popular with customers.
“Of course, business was not always plain sailing and we faced many challenges. Foremost in my mind is the memory of the three day week and the power cuts of 1973. We were not allowed to have any heating in the shop and power cuts meant that we had to work using camping lanterns and torches. To cap it all, inflation at one point in the 1970s was running at over 20%. Challenging times indeed!
“Twenty years into retirement, I can look back with fond memories of High St Westbury, It was a privilege to be able to trade there for so many years and to get to know many interesting people.”
