Name: Dave Harwood
Comment: The Singer shop in George Street, between the almshouses and Allders arcade, had a record department upstairs. I remember buying the first Spencer Davis Group album there when it came out in 1965. Their window display had a lot of French picture sleeve EPs and my friend Mick Cantwell bought one by a French group called Les Fantômes. I read somewhere that the Singer shop later relocated to the Whitgift Centre, which opened in stages between 1968 and 1970, but I’m not sure if they kept the record department. I’ll check with my friends to see if they have anything to prove it wasn’t just a dream!
Name: Dave Harwood
Comment: On a whim, I decided to visit the only Singer shop remaining in Croydon (now a franchise) yesterday. I wasn’t expecting anyone there to have any memories of the shop I remember in George Street but, surprisingly, the lady who runs the shop used to be the manager of the Singer shop that opened in the newly-built Whitgift Centre, Croydon in the late 1960s. She was rather busy and on her way out of the shop but when I asked if they had a record department in the Whitgift Centre branch she confirmed that they didn’t. Probably just as well as it would have been in competition with the newly opened Gooses Record Centre next door and WH Smith opposite which had a record department. She also said that there were other branches of Singer shops in Croydon, but not all open at the same time, and only some of them sold records. It all depended on their location what they stocked.
Name: Mick Cantwell
Comment: Yes you are correct, you’re not dreaming, there was a record shop above Singers and I did get that French Les Fantômes there and still have it lurking with my singles at the back of the wardrobe somewhere. They were also selling a EP by the local band Glen Athens and the Trojans which I never got, damn! That would be worth money now, but I did get the Group X singles there which are also at the back of the wardrobe.
SINGER record rendezvous! 60 Long Row West, NOTTINGHAM. Two modern listening booths. Wide range of records. Continental discs. Wide range of pre-recorded tapes. If you're mad for music - pops, jazz or classical - come on in. Let Singer swing it.” (Nottingham Evening Post 14th Feb, 1964).
SINGER record rendezvous! 111 St. Peter's Street, DERBY. Telephone: Derby 46755. Good listening facilities. Wide range of records. Continental discs. Wide range of pre-recorded tapes. If you're mad for music - pops, jazz or classical - come on in. Let Singer swing it.” (Derby Daily Telegraph 28th Feb. 1964).
SINGER new record rendezvous! 192 Freeman Street, GRIMSBY Tel. 2692. One modern listening booth. Wide range of classical and pop records. Continental discs. (Grimsby Daily Telegraph 26th June 1964)
SINGER new record rendezvous! 291 High Street, LINCOLN. Tel. 23962.(Lincolnshire Echo 26th June 1964)