A loved and lost department store where Liverpool shoppers "could get everything" was an "institution" in the city for decades.
Opening in 1908, Blacklers was one of the biggest stores in the country in its day and employed almost 1,000 staff - including a young George Harrison. Once described as "Liverpool's answer to New York's Macy's," the 'first' purpose built department store was founded by business partners Richard John Blackler and A.B. Wallis at the turn of the 20th century, after the pair met whilst lunching at the Adelphi hotel.
Located on Great Charlotte Street, Blacklers quickly became known as 'the people's store,' selling everyday products loved by residents across the city. It had a long history in Liverpool, being severely damaged in the Liverpool Blitz of May 1941 and moving to a temporary home at Fleet Street Warehouse while the original building was rebuilt.
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The store had six floors and a fantastic basement full of all kinds of stationery, but it is mostly remembered today for its Winter Wonderland Grotto, giant Santa Claus and rocking horse called Blackie. The 3D Santa, one of two created by artist Peter Blazey while working there, was displayed for more than 20 years, from the 1960s to the 1980s, as a decoration and to advertise the store’s grotto.
But by 1988, Blacklers closed for good and the site later became a branch of pub-chain Wetherspoons, named The Richard John Blackler, as a nod to its origins. As part of the Liverpool ECHO's How It Used To Be series, we spoke to former workers from Blacklers about their memories of the loved and lost department store and how times have changed in the city.
Mandy Fitzgerald, 61, from Dingle, started working at Blacklers after she left school aged 16. Working on a few different departments before leaving in 1983, Mandy first worked in the menswear section.
She told the ECHO: "When people say the basement was an Aladdin's cave - the whole shop was an Aladdin's cave. You could get anything in there.
"The very top floor was a balcony and that had all your curtains, your couches, your carpets, your bedroom furniture. The first floor was ladies coats, men's clothing and the ground floor then was haberdashery, fabrics.
"It was a great business to work for and each department had a what you called a buyer, like the manager for that department. There was no uniform, we just had to be dressed smart.
"On a Saturday, when I first started there, a buyer actually gave me a pair of Wrangler jeans to wear and a Wrangler windcheater to sort of advertise while I was serving and all the other girls in the ship were dead jel. Wrangler jeans, they were the one at the time."
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Before online shopping and contactless payments, staff dealt only in cash and customers would search the shelves high and low to find what they needed. Mandy said Blacklers was "quite formal" on the surface, but boasted a great atmosphere.
She said: "Where my cash desk was, it wasn't a sit down cash desk. You had to walk around, saying hello to people, asking 'can I help you?' and everything was 'Mr this' and 'Mr that' - you couldn't use first names.
"It was quite formal over all of the shop until you got to the basement. It was all first name terms used in the basement.
"After I'd been there about a year or two, they brought out a machine that you put your debit card on and you had to run the machine over it physically, putting like a form on top of it. It was an old fashioned machine.
"But only a few people used them, it was mainly all cash and at the end of the day we’d cash up, give our money to the buyer and then take our float down to the basement till the next day. There was a commissioner on the door who would welcome people as you come in and you don't really see that much anymore."
During the festive period, Mandy said the Christmas lights outside Blacklers would give colleagues and shoppers that "Christmas feeling." At the time, you'd also be greeted by classic Christmas songs when walking through the doors.
Mandy said: "At Christmas time, where my desk was, it was directly facing the back of the giant Father Christmas. They used to have music with all the old Christmas songs playing - Silver Bells and A Marshmallow World and Lonely Pup. I just used to love it and even now when I hear those songs it takes me back to Blacklers.
"The last year I was there, I was expecting my first baby and they put me in the grotto which was in the basement. The main doors from Elliott Street had the steps to the basement and there would be queues up them and out the door.
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"The basement, you couldn't get a pin between the people over Christmas time. There were the books and then novelty rubbers and sharpeners and pens and pencils. We always had high seated tills so people could see you because it was that chocker."
Mandy said most people still remember the basement and the "magical" grotto at Christmas, which the display team would work for weeks on. She said: "It was sad when it went, considering it wasn't a chain store, it was a family owned store.
"The younger ones wouldn't know Blacklers, so what you've never known you'd never miss. But personally, me, and I know a lot of people my age, would love to see a store like it again. It had been an intuition for so many people and so many people have great memories there."
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Alan Moore, from Speke, started working at Blacklers in the mid 1980s after coming into the business on a youth training scheme. The then teenager was based in the men's department, selling shirts on the ground floor.
Alan told the ECHO: "Blacklers was very popular, you could get anything in there. You could get anything in the men's department, women's department, toys department, haberdashery - they sold all kinds.
"On the shirts, the deals would be two for £10 or £6 each, but at the time that was a lot, that was dear for a shirt If you wanted it you could get it in Blacklers and if you couldn't get it in Blacklers there was no chance you were getting it anywhere else."
Today, the city boasts numerous independents and chains. But back in the days of Blacklers, you could get "everything" all under one roof. Alan said: "I wouldn't say there's one shop you can go into today and get everything you want, from your haberdashery stuff to hardware, clothes, pots and pans.
"You've got your Asda's and stuff like that but they don't sell the sort of unusual things. It's changed a lot now, there's lots of specialist shops now where you go for your sofas, your carpets, your tailor shop - whereas it was Blacklers or Lewis's or Woolworths back then.
"It was always busy. You had your regulars that would come in and you'd get to know them, even if they weren't buying, if they were what we called 'the browsers'. The atmosphere was lovely.
"I think in your local shops you've still got that bit of people getting to know you, but I think the big shops, that's gone in a lot of them. In Blacklers, you got to know your regulars and they got to know you. And it wasn’t just ‘hiya love,’ it was by your name too."
Set out in different sections, Alan said there was no uniform but that staff would dress in "nice formal" clothing. He said: "You knew the staff, they were always dressed smartly and the managers had the suits on.
"On my floor they all seemed to have grey suits on. They were all middle aged men and women the managers, whereas nowadays you see a lot of younger managers in shops.
"One manager would be just in charge of shirts, another would be on charge of the aftershaves. You didn't have one guy in charge of a floor, it was a section and it worked."
Alan said at Blacklers you were made to "feel like a family" and what he enjoyed the most was meeting customers and the colleagues he worked with. Alan said: "I think it's definitely remembered for the friendliness, being able to find anything and the rocking horse which is now in Alder Hey.
"People came for miles to see that rocking horse and to sit on it. When I was there , they'd let you ride on it.
"It wasn't something you just looked at and didn't touch, kids were having a go on it. Toys were out and you could see them working, it was quite a hands on shop."
The city centre has changed a lot since the days of Blacklers, from new buildings and chains to independent businesses and shopping trends. But the memory of this Liverpool institution still lives on.
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