Albert Walter Gamage 1856 Hereford , Holborn (General)

by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Saturday, December 03, 2005, 23:00 (6930 days ago) @ slowhands

An early Entrepreneur A W Gamage ( brother of Deodatus G. ; son of Henry)

1881 Living in his store
Albert W. Gamage abt 1856 Hereford, England Head 128 Holborn, St Andrews, London, England

1901
Albert W Gamage abt 1856 Herefordshire, England Head Hornsey Middlesex
Jeannie M Gamage abt 1868 Lanarkshire (Glasgow), Scotland Wife Hornsey Middlesex
Cecil M Gamage abt 1896 Hornsey, Middlesex, England Son Hornsey Middlesex
Daphne C Gamage abt 1893 Hornsey, Middlesex, England Daughter Hornsey Middlesex
Leslie C Gamage abt 1888 Hornsey, Middlesex, England Son Hornsey Middlesex

Gamage's department store first opened in Holborn, London, in 1878. It sold affordable, high quality domestic goods,
and produced cram-packed catalogues with which shoppers could order items for home delivery. The store also offered
an international shipping service that allowed goods to be sent 'throughout the empire'. Many of these catalogues
focused on particular types of products such as picnic baskets, bee keeping appliances, magic tricks, or motoring
accessories. By the early 20th century, Gamage's was one of London's best known stores.

http://storyoflondon.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=443

Arthur Walter Gamage was the son of a Herefordshire farmer who was apprenticed to a London draper in St.Paul's churchyard. In 1878 at the age of 21 and having saved £40 equivalent to at least £2,500 today he decided to set up his own shop in partnership with Frank Spain.

Between them they raised the £88 necessary to lease and fit a small watch repair shop in Holborn.The owner assured them that a hosiery shop would do well in the area. The frontage was no more than five feet and above it Gamage hung his motto "Tall Oaks from Little Acorns Grow".The partners lived in the back room of the shop and allowed themselves no more than fourteen shillings a week for their living expenses,

Gamage insisted on selling everything cheaper than anywhere else and gradually crowds began to visit the shop even though the area was unfashionable. By the end of the first year trading had grown to £1,632.In 1881 Gamage bought Spain out and began to expand the premises by buying the small properties that surrounded his original shop. By the end of the decade most of the block between Leather Lane and Hatton Gardens was in his hands. Because of the piecemeal expansion his Department Store ended up as a maze of rooms steps passages and ramps which Gamage now called the People's Popular Emporium.

And it was popular with children and adults alike who experienced something of an adventure as they wandered through the warren in search of bargains. It offered a very wide selection of goods including haberdashery furniture sporting goods gardening supplies and utensils camping equipment and clothing. Gamage went on to become the official supplier of uniforms to the Boy Scout movement and continued to expand.

A large zoological department and a toy department were joined by a motor department where one could even purchase a motor car and all the equipment required for running it. One of the largest departments was that devoted to pedal-bicycles and motorcycles. In 1911 49 pages of his 900 page catalogue were devoted to bicycles.

Gamage died in 1930 and tradition has it that he lay in state in the cycle department with a guard of honour made up of members of his staff.
The premises closed in March 1972 and disappeared in the massive redevelopment scheme which now occupies the site.