Thurman And Malin: Store was held in high esteem

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IN the days before shopping was dominated by out-of-town retail parks and cloned high streets, the departmental store ruled supreme in the retail world.

The doyen of them all in Derby was Thurman & Malin, in St Peter’s Street, in the building now occupied by McDonald’s.

It was always described as a drapers and furnishers, but sold a vast range of goods and services all of the highest quality and supported by the finest service.

A family-owned store, it had served the area longer than any other retailer, notching up more than 150 years before it closed its doors for the last time in 1970.

It started life on the other side of St Peter’s Street, as George & George, and began serving customers in 1811.

After 60 years, the two Mr George’s decided to call it a day and, in 1879, two of their employees, William Malin and Harry Thurman took over the business and gave it their names.

Those who remember the store say it was held in high esteem because of the quality of goods and services and was the place where ladies of impeccable taste, always beautifully dressed and wearing hats and leather gloves, would go to shop for lace handkerchiefs, millinery and special occasion clothes.

Service was one-to-one, over elegant wood and glass counters, and the vast stock was displayed in beautiful drawers and cabinets.

From the time that Thurman & Malin took over, they began to expand the business. In 1900, extensions were added and, in 1908, there was great excitement when a press-button lift was fitted to make access to the upper floors more convenient for customers.

The main part of the shop on St Peter’s Street had an elegant front with a mass of bronze which, for many years, required an army of cleaners. The premises spread a long way back in an L-shape, which gave it another entrance on St Peter’s Churchyard.

In 1959, when the store celebrated its 80th year of trading as Thurman and Malin, there were great celebrations and the store displayed, in its fashion windows, a beautiful corded silk wedding gown, trimmed with rows of lace, which had been made for a customer in the 1890s. The dress was in Derby Museum’s collection and was lent for the occasion.

A few years later, the Sixties brought a whole new approach to retail trading. Younger people, with their growing incomes and interest in fashion and leisure, became an important part of its clientele and, to meet this new era, Derby’s oldest, family-controlled department store underwent the biggest remodelling in its history.

The revamp included its extension to 26 departments, offering ranges from fashions and cosmetics to furniture and electrical goods, giving it what the Derby Evening Telegraph at the time described as “a sparkling new look”.

The front of the store was redesigned to give more window-shopping space for passers-by, a canopy was added and the bronze facade replaced with granite pillars and stainless steel.

It was a dramatic change from the pre Second World War days when some of the 90-strong staff had lived on the premises.

Though the aim was to cater more for the fashion-conscious younger woman, the store never lost its appeal for those who preferred classic, elegant designs.

The store undoubtedly represents a lost era, whose passing many older people regret.

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This article is from the Derby Evening Telegraph and is reproduced online here.