Starting the Business (1982)
In 1982 I was looking to start my own business in the motor trade and decided that Slaithwaite would be a good location to start the search for suitable premises. Although Slaithwaite was not the thriving village it is today there were successful and well-established family businesses situated in the village. Number 16 Carr Lane had been vacant for a while and being in an ideal position for my fledgling business was purchased in December 1982.
The property had previously been owned by the Robinson family since 1938 and had been a ladies hair salon on the first floor above a gent’s barbers on the ground floor. Upstairs in the lady’s salon there was a row of individual enclosed cubicles, painted a bright pink, along one side of the room. Each cubicle had a large sink with a mirror above and provided privacy for clients whilst having their hair washed. On the opposite side of the room were chairs positioned in front of large mirrors with shelves on top of glass storage cupboards. Adjoining the salon was a toilet and storeroom with cupboards still containing hair dyes and other hairdressing products.
On the ground floor in the gent’s barbers there were mirrors and chairs along the left-hand side and along the right-hand side were a row of old-style cinema seats where customers could sit whilst waiting.
The Canal and the Changing Village
At that time the canal had not been opened up through the village and the cherry blossom trees were still in place. The canal fully reopened in 2001 following an extensive period of restoration during which the road along Carr Lane was closed for a length of time. This phase of road closure created many challenges for trade, as access was affected and footfall greatly reduced, and businesses along Carr Lane paid a heavy price. However it is a very welcome sight to see how the reopening of the canal has contributed to the vitality of the village and a pleasure to see businesses now thriving.
Personal Memories as a Shopkeeper
On a personal note, I have many memories of my time as a shopkeeper at number 16 Carr Lane, the home of Colne Valley Motor Parts which became known locally as Ray’s shop! I have many stories from my time in the shop and indeed had only been there a couple of months when I was burgled. Fortunately, at the time we had the local bobby in the village who knew exactly who to investigate and where to look and happily the stolen goods were returned personally by him a few days later. Alas, that would not be the situation today!
Another amusing incident was when a young woman entered the shop with a pram informing me that ‘shh, my baby is asleep!’ Thinking my attention was elsewhere, she started filling her pram with clothing before heading for the door with no intention of paying where she was stopped in her tracks by me shouting ‘Excuse me, are you going to pay for those items?’ I emptied the pram only to find there was no sign of a baby!!
Those were the early days with some of the interesting if negative experiences of being a shopkeeper. On the positive side I have been fortunate enough to meet lots of wonderful and interesting people, many of whom were real characters. There was never a day that I didn’t have a good laugh, and laughter is certainly the best medicine! A highlight of each day was the long interesting conversations and debates over the counter, often involving several customers as they joined in whilst waiting for their brake pads or filters.
Over the years we had many customers from all walks of life enter the shop… musicians, footballers, rugby players, authors, local politicians looking for votes and professional actors! Indeed, the shop once featured in an episode of Last of The Summer Wine when Compo’s son was filmed entering the shop. As a shopkeeper, you hear a lot of stories, some happy, sad, emotional and many of them inspiring. Throughout the years it has been interesting to watch 3 generations of families walk through the door as children and then grandchildren grew up to own their own cars.
Many of my customers became good friends and meeting them is the part I miss most about my time at Colne Valley Motor Parts. It has been an absolute privilege to own number 16 Carr Lane and I can only thank the people of Slaithwaite and Colne Valley for their support and loyalty over the years.
Retirement Message (2017)
In 2017, after 35 years of serving the people of the valley with their motoring needs along with bits and bobs, it was time to quietly retire and leave the business in the capable hands of Adam.
May I take this opportunity to thank Kate and others for helping to keep the stories and history of the village alive.
Best regards
Ray Howard (the bloke in the white coat!)
