Drapery stores cut a fine dash in days gone by

Do we still have drapery stores? Much of the older terminology, much which entered the English language hundreds of years ago, has fallen into disuse. At least, they are no longer commonly seen on shop fronts as often as was the case even into the 1970s. This is the interior of Calvert’s in Cambridge when the business was closing. In the late 19^th to early 20^th centuries there was a significant upsurge in department stores. The larger & more successful stores put paid to the once common specialist shops – haberdasher, mercer, draper, tailor/outfitter, milliner and hatter. The milliner made ladies hats – the hatter made gentlemen’s hats. At any rate, this is what a drapery looked like – selling fabrics mainly for curtains, suits, coats and suchlike.

Contributed by Perry Rice, Heritage Librarian – Photographs, Hamilton Central Library. Explore more of our Heritage Collections Online. If you have any information you would like to pass on or would like to buy an electronic copy of the photo, please e-mail archives@hcc.govt.nz quoting: HCL_M01533.11