comment Off the Floor JoanMuter retired onMay 31 aft


almost six decades at hardware store R & L Keenleysides, which shut on the same day. She recalls some happymemories


Wemade somany cups of coffee - butmost


of t whi


le they were hot! Back in the day, the shops he time, we never had time to drink them


all closed for lunch. So we had an hour to eat, feed the dog and take himfor a walk – and then go back to open up for the afternoon.


ft And how will you spend it now? Where were you?


I was the owner of R & L Keenleysides: a hardware store in the Northumberland town of Bedlington Station.


was asked to help outMr Keenleyside, who was My first experience of shopkeeping was when I And how did you get there?


began helpingMr Keenleyside in the timber a very good friend.My late husbandMorris


department in his spare time as he was a


Saturdays back in 1961.When our children I began helping on the shop counter on qualified joiner.


due to retire, somy husband and I bought the reached school age,Mr Keenleyside was


Morris ran the timber department and I business.


looked aft fter the shop: serving the customers, sorting the stock, reordering, cleaning and so


familymembers, who pitched in at times when on.We were lucky to have some help from


we needed it. The days were long but we


andmainly sat in the window when he was not Whiskey - came to the shop every day with us, Our little dog - a border terrier named enjoyed what we were doing.


the driver’smate, sitting in the front of the car helping out with the deliveries. Children loved to see himon their way home fromschool and would often stop outside the store to sing: ‘Howmuch is that doggie in the window? The one with the waggly tail’... lovelymemories.


I have such


My day started with taking the children to How did you spend an average day?


shop).Morris opened the shop in themorning school (luckily, it was directly behind the


customer of the day.We worked well together; and I arrived just in time to greet the first


it was a joy to go to work.Morris looked after the tools and timber and joinery section and I served in the shop getting to know our lovely customers.


3 2 | housewares evil .net


I’mlooking forward to spendingmore quality time withmy children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren. A fewmore trips away and taking itmore leisurely in themornings… although I will still be up very early, as this is built intome now. I think earlymorning is the best part of the day.


visit every independent “I will continue to


my travels, as I’ve hardware shop on


always done”


What was the best decision youmade? Firstly,marryingmy husbandMorris, and secondly,making the decision to buy the tools, glass and timber business fromMr Keenleyside.Morris and I celebrated our golden wedding anniversary and enjoyed a wonderful working life together.We were a great team.


What will youmissmost?


Chatting and helping customers,many of whomhave become good friends.


And least?


Worrying about the days when business was quiet; thinking about change (!) and new lines to keep the shop interesting.


What’s’s themost amusing thing that happened in your shop? Apart frombeing calledMrs Keenleyside for years? I just accepted it because sometimes it took too long to explain that Mr Keenleyside started the business in 1924 etc.We could


• HousewaresLive.net re • twitter. r.com/Houseware /H resnews June/July 2019


fter working for y.


We also once had a rabbit hop into the yard be there for hours!


owner so the staff built a hutch, named himFl the rear of the premises.We couldn`t find his


compound and greeted all the delivery drivers Flop, and hemerrily hopped around the


decided to stay, followed by a budgie (until we formany years.We then had a cat arrive who


found a home for him).


What’s’s been the biggest change since you became involved in independent retailing? The internet and selling online. I like to talk and help people! So I didn’t want to get involved with that - it was something for the young ones to to concentrate on what I knew n the counter.


best: serving o do. I preferred


Name one change you wouldmake to the retail industry.


y. Heavily tax online retailers.


What advice would you give to someone starting up a shop today?


Be well-prepared to work all hours being self- employed. However, you get your rewards - and a sense of great achievement if you work hard at it… Try 60 years! I loved everyminute of it.


Is it goodbye to the retail industry ormerely au revo


voir?


After a good 60 years, it’s definitely goodbye. However,


r, I will continue to visit every


independent hardware shop onmy travels, as I’ve always done. It will be a pleasure to walk around and feel as proud of themas I did of owningmy own shop


at ip


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