And while stars such as Duran Duran, Prince and Madonna were shooting up the charts, all this was happening in Sunderland.
We had Binns for bargains, Rediffusion for televisions, Pyrex for plates and Crowtree to get yourself in shape.
See how many of these 1980 and 1981 scenes you remember.
In case you missed it;
5. A new outfit from Binns
Clothes galore in Binns - a 1980s favourite in Sunderland. | se
6. Flashback to the phone exchange
Technical officer Terry Woodhouse, testing one of the 380 junctions in the Sunderland North telephone exchange at Southwick in 1981. | se
7. Spotlight on Sheena
Singing sensation Sheena Easton drew the crowds to HMV in Sunderland when she visited in January 1981. | se
8. On the line at Pyrex
Workers at Pyrex, pictured in March 1981. There can’t be many households that don’t have a Pyrex dish or piece of kitchenware in their cupboards! | se Photo: Sunderland Echo