I would have loved to go Christmas shopping at this Sunderland store which had hi-tech gadgets - 70 years ago!
It sounds like a science fiction story from the old days - but this Sunderland store really did have blinds which shut themselves when the sun got too bright.
It also had underfloor heating, speakers in the roof and coloured lights to set the right mood for shoppers.
It was called Kennedy’s and Philip Curtis, from Sunderland Antiquarian Society, told us more.
Kennedy’s was a hit, especially when it relocated into a new unit in Maritime Place, close to Blandford Street, on March 19, 1959.
It was in these premises that the fashion store introduced the latest shopping features of the day.
The store which monitored the sun’s rays
It had an electronic eye on the corner of the building to measure the sun’s rays before passing on to the pre-set mechanism to open or close the blinds.
The hi-tech innovation did not end there either.
Underfloor heating was introduced and Kennedy’s also had speakers which were set into the ceiling, through which music could be played to shoppers.
Another eye-catching was the background window lighting which incorporated automatic colour changes.
A local firm, Coutts and Findlater, was responsible for building the shop front.
Plans for a central boulevard
In 1959 it was felt that the new store was on the fringe of what eventually would be a central shopping complex with a wide central boulevard running through it.
They were correct and, eventually, The Bridges opened. This soon became became the place to shop, but some of the businesses situated outside the complex began to struggle.
Eventually Kennedy’s, which had served the town since 1885, closed its doors for the final time.
But what an impression it had made from its earliest days.
Destroyed by fire
Kennedy’s started out in High Street West in 1885, but later took over the Cobden Exchange in the same street. There the store remained until the building was destroyed by fire in August 1904.
It was soon rebuilt and opened again the following year. It quickly became extremely popular. A feature of the shop was the way money was sent to the cashier’s department by way of a travelling container in a chute, the change returning in similar fashion.
The store also issued its own money for customers to spend there.
Our thanks go to Philip for a wonderful story which was included in one of the Antiquarian Society’s newsletters in November 2016. The publication goes out to all society members.
Visit the treasure trove
To find out more, you can also visit the Antiquarian Society’s Facebook page or its website which is at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org
And to become a member, email [email protected]
Tell us about a moment in Sunderland history that you would like us to revisit, by emailing [email protected]