An iconic Edinburgh shop that had served the area for over a century closed up for the last time earlier this year, and locals are reminiscing on the unique customer experience that waited for them through the front door.
Nestled in Raeburn Street in Stockbridge, Corson Hardware first opened in the late 19th century and was once a well known retailer in the area for many. With stock filled windows and all the bric a brac you could ever need, the question became - would the ‘miserable’ owner allow you to buy it?
With residents noticing renovations on the building, they’ve taken to social media to recall their strange interactions at Corson's from days gone by.
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Eric Corson, the third generation of Corson's who retired a few months ago, was a well known character in Edinburgh.
Discussing the legacy in the Lost Edinburgh Facebook group, locals recalled moments of ‘rudeness’, Eric’s ‘grumpy’ nature, and even referred to him as a ‘grumpy old git’.
Laine Phillips, who runs Marchmont Hardware, helped out with the closure and clear up of Corson Hardware. Her stepfather, Stuart Munro, trained with Eric in the days when a qualification was needed to do ironmongery.
Edinburgh Live spoke to Laine, who argued that behind his moody personality is a good man who doesn’t necessarily deserve the sullen salesman reputation.
She recalled the first time she met Eric, telling us: “I met the man and ran out the door.
“I think it’s common between people that run hardware stores, it’s a certain no nonsense approach. As much as the man was different, I don’t want people to remember him for his bad behaviour.
“I think he and his wife used to go dancing a lot, he played golf, and in his personal life I don’t think he was the way people think of him. He was all the things you don’t see in a shopkeeper, he was human.
“He was a strange character, but maybe he didn’t necessarily want to be in hardware.”
The line of thinking that Eric didn’t particularly want the shop seems to be a recurring theme, with Eileen Thomson adding in the Lost Edinburgh group: “He once told me he hated the job, it was his dad's shop.”
In typical fashion, the family business was passed down through the generations and it was decided for him that Corson’s would become his very early in his life - a decision that Laine told us became a ‘sense of duty’ for Eric.
The Corson game
Some locals claimed that the customer service in the store was so questionable, that an entire game was created - with a points system based on purchasing items.
The customer can win points by successfully requesting hardware products, with the opposition hoping to block a purchase based on insufficient detail or claiming that an item is not for sale.
Laine feels that despite the Corson game, and any reputation Eric may have gained, that he shouldn’t be remembered for these qualities. She said: “I don’t want him to be bad mouthed, I think it’s important that we don’t think like that.
“It’s a hard thing dealing with the public, even more so now. I’m almost glad he’s retired, because I don’t think he could cope.
“He definitely got worse with age. I mean, I’ve been in my shop 34 years and I always remember him being talked about - it’s been a long time, and I don’t think he was ever a happy bunny.”
Laine considered taking on the Corson business, though the future is still uncertain for the Stockbridge outlet. When she headed to the closed down shop to help in the clear-out she recalled the ‘state’ of the place, adding: “The shop was never updated or renovated, there was a bees nest in the middle of the store room at the back of the shop when we cleared it out.
“We covered it with a bucket and took it outside and hoped for the best.”
The shop and adjoining property have been sold, though the people who have purchased the property don’t want the hardware business and plan to let it out eventually. Whether or not someone will reopen the hardware store, or if they’ll manage to keep up the Corson reputation, is yet to be seen.
