Clothing store marks 50 years

Fashion may change - but Lucy Thompson's presence in Oldbury has remained.

Mrs Thompson's clothes shop, named after herself, is marking 50 years' on Halesowen Street.

And it is longest-surviving shop in the town, much down to the shopkeepers friendly customer service and fashion sense.

"My customers know me, they know I won't sell them something which is not right just for the sake of a sale," Mrs Thompson.

"They don't want any old clothing, they want clothes which are right for them, and they want an honest person for help.

"At the end of the day, what I say is my reputation, and I've always been a good people person - it is what's made this work."

Mrs Thompson, who does not wish to reveal her age, started out pricing prescriptions, based in Windmill Lane in Oldbury, after leaving school.

She then went on and worked for Pat Graingers clothes store in Oldbury as a manageress, before leaving to take over the shop which now bears her name.

It was a clothes store before and she had to take on stock, but after selling it on she was able to carve out her own style for the shop, using nearby fashion stockists.

She said: "I always looked at empty shops, since I was a young girl.

"It was something I knew I wanted to do, run my own shop, as soon as I stepped behind a counter.

"I'm a people person."

Despite being able to keep the shop going over the years, Mrs Thompson says times have got harder.

There were 44 shops along Halesowen Street when she started. Now many are empty.

She said: "Even when I started I believe the state of business in Oldbury was past its best, but we still did good business.

"There were factories open around the town and you'd get girls come in during their lunch breaks.

"Their breaks were 12 till 2 and there were so many during that time that I needed help shifting the clothes.

"I had 400 blouses go, 600 t-shirts. Nothing like that anymore though, the whole scene has changed.

"It is quieter, but I still get custom from people who trust and know me."

Mrs Thompson gets her stock today from clothing shows and from a visiting sales rep she has used for more than 20 years.

She said: "The fashions have changed so much, especially with the skirts.

"You see them get more and more short then to hot pants and then getting longer again, it swings round."

For her 50th anniversary on November 28, Mrs Thompson said she will not be celebrating, partly due to ill health.

She added: "I'm not sure I'll be able to decide when I leave, but I'll keep going along as a I can."