When we bought the shop in 1963 Fishponds Road looked very different.  It was tree lined, there were very few cars and all the houses were quite large and privately owned by people who had lived in them for a long time. Without the noise of cars it was quieter than it is now and this rank where the shop is was a fully working rank of shops.  Next door we had Pang’s Laundry where they would wrap the clean shirts in paper bags and tie them with string.  On the other side we had Morris Chant who owned number 519 (which we acquired in 1999) who was a chemist/wine brewer.  There was Shirley’s hairdressers which was very popular, always buzzing with ladies getting their weekly sets.  Howell’s Haberdashery, a Pet Food shop, greengrocers, baker and general grocers on the end.  There was a hairdresser/barber shop which was split into two - the hairdresser run by a sister and the barbershop by her brother.  There are three wool shops within 100 yards, clearly lots of knitting went on in those days.  Over the road there was Sweet’s removals, a motor accessories shop and a fishmongers.  The La Porta family opened Salvatore’s Barbershop in the 60s.  All the shops used to be shut on Wednesday afternoons.

When we first opened the shop we sold undergarments, baby things, ribbons and haberdashery and then we moved on to ladies fashions for the next 21 years.  Every Monday morning the window was changed and the mannequins got new outfits.   People used to come in an buy swimming costumes to wear in the Lido over the road.  It was very popular and widely used but sadly several people drowned and it was closed. 

From around the early 70s it slowly began to change.  With the bigger supermarkets becoming popular we lost the grocer and the baker. The hairdressers retired and Pangs became a Fish & Chip Shop.   I remember the 3 days week where we couldn’t have electricity on in the shop.  

When we swapped from selling clothes to central heating and fires in 1985 only half of the shops were still trading.  The Pangs sold their Chip Shop to Mr Chim and his family who are still running it.   When Salvatore retired Carmelo his son took over and it became La Porta Barbering Company as it is today.