Shopkeepers

Before the expansion of multinational companies, the needs of local people were served by small shops and traders.

On this page, notes and extracts from 'Shops Book - Shopkeepers and Street Traders in East Brighton 1900-1930' by Neil Griffiths are explored to give a varied account of the community of shopkeepers and traders in Brighton and Hove. From the hierachy of the professional shop owner down to The barrow boys everyone stayed busy selling what the customer wanted to buy.

You can download Shopkeepers and its accompanying page by clicking here (PDF format).

General Information
The 1875 directory for East Brighton listed 35 bootmakers, 3 breweries, 19 dress-makers, 15 tailors, 2 watchmakers, 2 tinners, 2 brushmakers and 2 basketmakers. By 1974 they had virtually all disappeared, apart from one jeweller and one costumer.

There has been a decline in the number of small shops in general, and a growth in the size of large multiples such as Allied Suppliers, associated British Foods Ltd. (£524 million profit in 1970), Great Universal Stores Ltd. (£425 million profit in 1970) and Marks and Spencers (£416 million profit in 1970).

The Professional Shopkeeper was distinctly better off than the rest. He was usually an employer, and had learnt the skills of his trade as an apprentice and manager. He often belonged to trade professional associations such as the Brighton and Hove Butchers Association.

The Small Shopkeeper was less well off than the professional, had a lower status in the neighbourhood and depended solely upon his family to staff his shop. These ventures were often very risky because they were based on small amounts of borrowed capital and little or no experience in trading.

Street Sellers, included barrow boys, costermongers and street traders, who were itinerants, without capital, a fixed shop or regular customers. Their trade was risky but, at times, very lucrative.

Women Proprietors
The directories reveal that women proprietors were common - especially in laundries, greengroceries, confectioneries and various other dealerships.

Credit
Credit-giving involved great risk for the shop-keeper. His fortunes and livelihood were bound up with those of his customers and the whole neighbourhood. Hard times hit him as much as anyone else. The death of a debtor or the laying off of the breadwinner was calamitous for the poorer shopkeepers.

All Shops had long hours due to competition. Before the shop even opened in the morning, the green-grocer had to buy and transport his produce from the market, which opened at 4:00 a.m. At 5:30, the baker had to start making the day's bread; the coal merchant had to weigh and load up at the station at 4:00 a.m. The shops then opened at 8:00 and closed when people stopped coming- usually at 8:30 in the evening on a weekday, but frequently as late as midnight on Saturdays.

Social Function
Many shop-keepers recall customers stopping to gossip about family and neighbours: some customers came in to talk even when no purchases were made. The bakery ovens were used by women to cook their own food and bake their bread, and the chemist was expected to advise on health and medicines, and even to administer treatment.

Thus the shop functioned as a citizen's advice bureau, gossip exchange, information centre and betting office. Some shopkeepers were also money lenders. Distrust of doctors, as well as inability to afford their fees, encouraged many to go to the chemist for advice and home remedies: it was a form of community health centre.