The entire, excellent photo of Stonefield Independent Co-op taken nearly 100 years ago on the south side of Glasgow Road. The butchers shop is shown and beyond it, in the 2 storey building dating from 1891, are other co-op departments.
This is 241 Glasgow Road and the lower shop in this building next to the pend close, was originally the Co Drapery & Boot shop, but by 1915 had become the Co Butchers, where it would remain right up until near the Millennium, before becoming the Peters Family Butchers then the current Strachan’s Butchers.
243 Glasgow Road next door was the Co Hardware and Grocery shop which remained as such until the 1950’s when it became self service, effectively turning into a small supermarket. How Blantyre families would marvel at being able to actually touch the goods first! The shop in later years became MacIntosh Carpets & Furniture, which closed in September 2010. Today, located at the western end of the building, it’s now the St Andrew’s Hospice Charity Shop, recently refurbished in early September 2018.
The old outbuildings were demolished at the back sometime in the 1950’s and the Blantyre Co-op extensively extended the premises to the south. In 1967, several windows were often smashed in spates of vandalism.
Around the Millennium, this wasn’t the only renovation that took place. Along with several other buildings at this location in Glasgow Road, both on the south and north sides, shops were given similar makeovers, when dark green shop signs and white, black or silver embossed signage. The idea was to bring back some character and uniformity to the street, but within a couple of years, desire for own logos and signs, saw shopkeepers settle back into providing their own signage and putting their own stamp on their premises. The Co is fondly remembered by all.
With thanks to Margaret Stewart for sharing.
Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said:
Stuart Oneil My mother and cousin worked in the old “co” in the 70s when it was a supermarket. Always remember the old tills and helping to hand price the stock for my mum.great pics
Margaret Stewart I remember when I was little me n my mum where in the co and when you paid for something the money was put in a wee metal tube and was then drawn up a pipe to the next level.