The End of an Era

This was taken while walking through the town of Woodbridge, Suffolk, late this afternoon. We passed the Woolworths store, which closed for good (along with all 800 or so Woolworths branches in the country) just after Christmas 2008, after going into administration a month earlier. Woolworths had been a major store in Woodbridge for years - my mum even worked there in the 1960s when she was a teenager, as did I on a part-time basis when I was younger.

This store holds many memories for me. As children, it was where we used to buy our toys, stationery, CDs (I even bought my first music cassettes there in the mid-80s!), and of course, the legendary 'Pic 'n Mix' sweets.

This photo was taken from the outside of the store, looking through the window at the cashdesk where I spent many hours serving customers during my time there. I always remember Woolies as being a bustling, busy store, full of life and people. Christmases there were sometimes stressful and tiring but also incredibly good fun, with a brilliant atmosphere. To see it now, stripped bare - they even sold off all the fixtures and fittings in an attempt to raise as much money as possible to clear some of the huge debts - really makes me very sad. The tills and cashdesk seem to be the only items that remain in a store that is otherwise empty.

Goodbye Woolworths...