It’s been going for 150 years, survived immense changes to people’s shopping habits and is marking its landmark anniversary with a special charity event.
Huddersfield town centre hardware store C. Booth & Son was founded in 1865 by Charles Booth and has been part of two families ever since. In the first family, the shop was passed down in daughters (Booth to Chapman, Chapman to Brown) and in its first days was described as ’saw makers, cutlers, grinders, ironmongers and tool dealers.’
And 31 years ago it changed hands to the Green family when Mick Green bought it. The shop is now run by his son, Simon Green and wife Fiona.
Their daughter, 17-year-old Melissa, has battled leukaemia and is currently a student at Greenhead College. She is now well and to say thanks for the care she has had Booth’s has organised a charity fundraising night at The Keys restaurant below Huddersfield Parish Church this Saturday, September 5 from 7.30pm onwards with all proceeds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The event will feature food, a charity auction and raffle as well as entertainment provided by local band LewRey.
Fiona said “Melissa has twice been diagnosed with leukaemia, the second time when she was 13, and we have seen first-hand the brilliant work and support given by Teenage Cancer Trust, especially when she was having treatment at Leeds General Infirmary.”
Teenage Cancer Trust is dedicated to improving the quality of life and chances of survival for young people aged 13 to 24 diagnosed with cancer. The charity funds and builds specialist units in NHS hospitals and provides dedicated staff, bringing young people together so they can be treated by teenage cancer experts.
A highly specialised shop, C. Booth & Son was a direct importer of American hickory butchers skewers and sold printers’ guillotine knives.
Current Booth’s employee Lewis Reynolds said: “Booth’s was very specialised in providing traditional services such as sharpening, grinding and repairing. The shop had developed a great reputation for providing these services in-house at the workshop in the back. Around the time the first shop photo had been taken these services were very common in most towns and cities, but the fact that we still provide the same services for our customers 150 years later is what makes us unique. We can still sharpen almost anything with a blade.”
Simon and Fiona have concentrated on recovering the original features of the shop since it first opened.
Exposing the original ceiling has allowed them to increase shelf-space and as a result, their product range has significantly increased.
Lewis added: “Now C.Booth & Son is known as ’the shop that sells everything.’ How many shops do you know that could cut you a key, sharpen your knives, sell you a cafetiere, a snow shovel and a hand rolled Cuban cigar in just one visit? To give you an idea how many different products we sell, it normally takes us over a month to do a stock take!”
The shop started selling tobacco close to 20 years ago when tobacconists were closing and the owners at the time discovered a gap opening in the market. Some cigars there cost up to £40.
Lewis said: “Some of the shop’s regular customers were coming in complaining that they couldn’t buy a pipe anywhere in Huddersfield which is what spurred the owner at the time, Mick Green, to find a supplier. Before Huddersfield knew it, Booth’s was an official stockists of Dunhill smoking pipes. Booth’s is the only specialist tobacconists in Huddersfield. We sell both pipe and hand-rolling tobacco as well as cigars, with flavours that vary from coffee to strawberry and chocolate.”
But how has the shop survived the new the onset of the new DIY chains?
“We have always taken pride in excellent levels of customer service, something we feel can’t always be guaranteed with the larger scale DIY chains,” said Lewis. “A lot of our customers know our names and sometimes we wonder how they know. We’ve realised its just because our approach is very personable and we have a laugh with them.
“We’ve also always specialised in the products we sell. We pride ourselves in the quality of our products and try to stick to as many British made companies as possible.”
Tickets for Saturday’s Teenage Cancer Trust event cost £10 from Booth’s or the Keys and will include live bands, a raffle and pie and peas.
Alternatively contact Simon on 01484 530457.
