Button Shop

The haberdashery located at the far end towards the Jolly Sailor with their seemingly unlimited stock. Believed to be on 66 High Street today.  

In this audio you can hear Judith. 

The audio is 57 seconds long. 

Audio Transcript: 

Judith

My favourite shop, and everybody when you mention it, who was around at the time say, “Oh yes, of course!”, was the button shop that was right at the far end towards the Jolly Sailor, and it was a drapers and haberdashery. Sold dress making materials or furnishing materials. They sold cottons, they sold ribbons, they sold buttons, and it was run by a Polish couple. Eric and his wife, and Eric’s mother. 

You’d walk past and their window displays would be fantastic. You’d have, and I’d say, you’d have these materials up against each other. And you’d… “Oh I wouldn’t have thought of putting those the…two together, they look fab…right, I could make a blouse of that…” and…you’d go in. You hadn’t been intending to do anything, but because their display was so brilliant, and he was, they were so good at displaying the materials, you’d walk past and it started, you’d… “I want that!” And they had every sort of braid and ribbon, and you couldn’t go in there and ask for something that they hadn’t got.

South Norwood High Street Stories is funded by Historic England’s High Streets Heritage Action Zone programme delivered by Croydon Council. For more information visit www.croydon.gov.uk/southnorwood

Image Credit: Croydon Council