retrostoreworld.com Blog

You may be forgiven for thinking so. Terence Conran(now Sir) claimed in 1964 that his first and newly opened shop,Habitat,ushered-in for the consumer ‘a pre-digested shopping programme’.No longer were customers expected to focus on the specific items for sale in the shop window randomly displayed or grouped together in categories (e.g. kitchenware,furniture,bed linen, and so on)but rather to ‘buy-in’ to a whole way of living with their purchases arrayed.So we had areas in the store or shop where the customer was treated to the experience of whole kitchen,dining,lounge,patio,bedroom and other instantly recognisable rooms or living areas to be found in the modern well designed home.

In her book,Designing Modern Britain, Cheryl Buckley describes the Habitat shop format as simple and open-plan, with goods and accessories displayed to produce a certain ‘look’or ‘lifestyle’.The stores did seem to bring-in a certain freshness missing in immediate post war Britain, a country still not that long-out of the austerity of war production and associated rationing.

Habitat, and other shops like Biba, provided an outlet for the burgeoning designer talent bursting for recognition in the 1960s. There was suddenly plenty of cane furniture,ethnic style rugs , rustic earthenware,stripped pine tables and bentwood chairs, ‘modern’ stainless cutlery, and new lamps and light shades of various shapes, colours and materials (often paper).It all provided (and still does) exciting choices for the consumer.

In 2007, is the current Habitat model post-modernist, largely retro in flavour, or..? You can make-up your own mind by clicking-on here to Habitat’s excellent and easy to navigate web sitefull of web design wizardry.The Christmas presentation is especially good,I feel- less simple more sumptuous- a top retrostore.

Board games for board and table-top were must-have items at Christmas-time , particularly during the second half of the 20th Century.

Their appeal is sometimes difficult to pin-point. Was it the attractive artwork on the box or packaging, which sometimes promised more than it delivered when the lid was lifted? Or was it that they gave us something to do when the festive meal had been eaten,and other presents and distractions (the Christmas telly,perhaps?) had been turned aside during the long holiday hours?

Whatever it was, the games makers never failed to produce a large supply of their products for our use and entertainment.

Some games, chimed because the theme followed a favourite TV or film programme of the day (Z-Cars or Stars Wars,for instance); followed a sporting pre-occupation(like Formula One,or Subbuteo); or was based on a classic game of risk and business (Monopoly).There were games of chance,or games requiring player skills of dexterity,creativity or powers of deduction (Cluedo,Totopoly,Scoop!,Mine a Million,Meccano)

Many games were applied card games,some required writing or drawing,others used fake money,’chips’ or counters- the competitive edge to acquire things was strong for the game to be a success ,and the variations seemed almost unlimited- the tradition,of course ,goes on.Indeed,the charm of the board game has withstood ,until the present day, the onslaught from the popular toy and game products of the electronic age (batteries not included!).

Great manufacturers of games are or have included: Merit, Pepys,Ariel,Chad Valley,Palitoy,Spears,MB and ,not least, Waddingtons, possibly the most loved and best known of them all.

If you would like to see a very large collection of vintage board games from the 20th Century (you may want to collect them and/or play them)
you can check-out a large selection of exciting games for sale at the eBay web site by clicking here.

Copyright (c)2007 CFM(Services)Limited.All rights reserved.

Fiat 500 Voted Car of the Year 2008

Launched in July and promising to be the most eagerly awaited car for many a year, the Fiat 500 scooped the top award as Car of the Year 2008 when ,this month, 57 out of 58 specialist journalists on an international panel from 22 European countries voted for the super-compact. Auto Express, the car news weekly, in its list of New Cars for 2008 places the 500 at the top of its 10 Most Wanted, ahead of the Jaguar XF at number 2.Described as ‘retro without being kitsch…fresh,funky and fantastic to drive’ ,the 500 is destined to go places.

The Green Car Guide says that ‘Fiat has announced prices of the eagerly-awaited new Fiat 500, which goes on sale in the UK in January.

‘And the good news is that prices start at just £7,900. At the top end of the range, a highly specified version with a larger engine costs only £10,700 – including air conditioning and alloy wheels as standard.

‘The 500 is available with a choice of three Euro 5-ready engines: 69 bhp 1.2-litre and 100 bhp 1.4-litre petrol, or 75 bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet turbodiesel. The base 1,242cc petrol engine returns 55 mpg economy and emits 119g/km of CO2. The 1.3 Multijet diesel can manage 67.3 mpg on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 111g/km.

‘The 500 can be ordered in three different trim levels – Pop, Sport and Lounge. Standard equipment in the entry-level Pop includes ABS anti-lock brakes with EBD, driver, passenger, side and driver’s knee airbags, radio/CD/MP3 player, power steering, electric mirrors, colour coded bumpers and chrome-plated door handles. The options list includes ESP, glass sunroof, metallic paint and parking sensors.

‘Sport and Lounge versions start at £9,300, while specifying a larger engine in any trim level adds £1,400. Standard equipment on both Sport and Lounge versions includes the Blue & MeTM hands-free media system, air conditioning and 15” alloy wheels. Sport specification includes a rear roof spoiler, fog lights, sports interior and dark tinted rear windows, while Lounge trim includes a split, folding rear seat and fixed glass roof.

The Fiat 500 goes on sale through Fiat’s 162-strong UK dealer network in January 2008.’

Copyright (c)2006 CFM(Services)Limited.All Rights Reserved.

In 1982, the programme Knight Rider burst literally onto our TV screens. K.I.T.T, the sleek black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was arguably the star of the show.However, there had to be a hero for this ’sort of Lone Ranger with a car’ series and this was provided in the form of David Hasselhoff playing the ubiquitous crime-buster, Michael Knight. Wherever the villains were operating in the US, mainly in Southern California,there would be the duo to bring justice on behalf of the private crime fighting unit within the Knight Organisation,known as FLAG.

Although the original series finished in 1986, I understand that a new series may be screened soon with David Hasselhoff in it, but with the stories very much involving a character who is his son.

So clearly, interest has not waned too much in the more than twenty years since the first series. I shall try to bring you further news on developments,in due course. Meanwhile, the spirit lives on, and you can share in the growing excitement in anticipation of a returning sensation by buying a sleek radio controlled model of K.I.T.T. available to buy for £29.95. Whilst it may not be bomb and bullet proof (or travel at 300 mph) it has some very good moves,I hear. For further details and specifications you should go to Firebox

Copyright (c) 2007 CFM (Services)Limited.All rights reserved.

This short post is by way of an update.Always delighted to report on an event promoted here (see 8th November). On 9/10/11th November the Classic Motor Show (see above poster) was successfully held at Birmingham’s NEC to packed houses.

Held alongside the MPH show, the CMS ,owned by Clarion Events NEC,broke its attendance records.An estimated 70,000 visitors were treated to ‘a breathtaking display of 1,000 beautiful vehicles ranging from classic British sports cars to American hot rods,carparades,300 trade stands,a car restoration theatre and classic gameshows. The eventual winner of the Meguiars Club Showcase concours competition was the Jaguar XK150 S Type Roadster owned by John Brewster.’

For information visit the Classic Motor Show website

In 2008, the Classic Motor Show will be held on Friday 14th November to Sunday 16th November.

Here we go! Here we go!Here we go! A magazine dedicated to football in the 1960s,1970s and 1980s!I’ve just stumbled across (well I actually heard it mentioned on the Talk Sport radio programme this morning) a brand new magazine for lovers of the beautiful game as it was played and managed in the latter half of the 20th Century.

I found the website for the BACKPASS Magazine ,and on it is displayed the cover of the very first edition- October 2007- showing an action shot of the genius that was Georgie Best in his youthful pomp,doubtless dazzling his opponents, some mud on each leg- the playing surfaces in those days were often truly atrocious, but this did not dim the sparkling play.
The contents of the First Issue are said to include:

THE MANAGEMENT – Jim Smith on the spot
MEMORIES of Ted MacDougall, Jim McCalliog, Don Rogers, Bobby Smith, Bobby Ham, Mick Kearns, Mark Loram and Geoff Crudgington.
INSIGHT on Nottingham Forest’s 1979 European Cup winners
GREAT TV GOALS OF THE SEVENTIES – Blackpool’s Tony Green
FASHION DISASTERS – Coventry City’s choc horror
CUP CLASSICS – Chester City’s famous victory over Leeds United
REMEMBERED – The much-travelled Frank Large, and George’s six of the Best
WORLD CUP WONDERS – Poland’s Grzegorz Lato
FOCUS on the 1970-71 season
and much, much more …..
You are not too late to obtain the October issue.
To receive Issue 1, send a cheque for £2.50 made payable to Backpass Ltd, with your name, address and team supported to BACKPASS, PO Box 4731, Southam, Warwickshire CV47 4AP.

You can visit the BACKPASS Magazine website from here

The cars are, very much, the stars! The Classic Motor Show hosts an amazing display of over 1,000 cars to see. There is something for all levels of enthusiasm, whether you are a hardcore classic fan or you just love cars. Whether vintage Bentleys are your scene or maybe 70’s Fords, maybe early Morris or Maserati? The Classic Motor Show has them all. Whatever your favourite “classic” is, get up close to it at the show and spend a unique day amongst like minded people who all share your passion for cars, cars, and more cars!

So, says the blurb from the organisers of this massive show.No one will disagree! For more details of how you can get involved in this exciting and prestigious event click here

But hurry! The show only runs from 9-11th November 2007.