With winter fast approaching, the time had come for
the people of Grahamstown to start thinking about their winter wardrobes. With
the likes of Farmers and The Warehouse still decades away from dominating the
town’s supply of fast fashion, the citizens of Thames in the late 19th
century went instead to the town’s many draperies and millineries.
If you were looking for local tweed in Grahamstown,
your first stop would have to be the New Zealand Clothing Factory in Albert St.
Boasting ‘the best New Zealand tweed clothing for Men’s, Youth’s and Boy’s
Wear,’ along with an assortment of hats and caps, the Clothing Factory promised
to be the best value for money on the market.
Thames Drapery and Clothing Company sold everything
from colonial blankets and kid gloves to sailor hats and winter suits, and all
with trading stamps for every sixpence spent. The motto of Thames Drapery was
‘a nimble sixpence rather than a slow shilling.’ Their advertisements appear regularly in the
‘Wanted Known’ section of the Thames Star – ‘’Gussie,’ my boy, ‘go to the
Thames Drapery and Clothing Company for one of your namesakes.’’
If you were after new boots, you couldn’t go past M.
Whitehead, in his ‘Commodious Premises next to the Bank of New Zealand.’ He had
a large assortment of both English and Colonial boots, and if you couldn’t make
it to his shop in Brown St, there was more to see at his other branch in
Shortland.
Probably the most famous of the early Thames fashion
houses was S. Hetherington’s Family Drapers. Importing direct from the English
manufacturers, Hertheringtons claimed to be the cheapest and best place in
Thames to buy drapery and millinery. You
could pick up your Tweeds, Foules and Serges with ‘new and appropriate
trimmings,’ as well as mackintoshes, oilcoats and jerseys for the winter
months.
My personal favourite, of course, is R. S. Thorburn’s
– the Central Cash Draper in Pollen St. R. S. Thorburn’s wares were so good
that he occasionally didn’t bother to advertise them at all, instead buying
whole columns of the Thames Star simply to advertise his ‘new and interesting’
upcoming advertisements. For the winter of 1893, R. S. Thorburn promised his
departments were thoroughly stocked with the newest winter goods, with
particular care being paid to the Dress, Millenary and Woollen departments.
These goods would be sold for the ‘smallest possible profit.’
Comments
Post a Comment