The Mother Town's pinnacle of retail.

            Signalling an opportunity to spend your extra cash in a spacious building full of expert staff, Burslem's new Co-operative Emporium offered the locals a new way to shop in 1932.
Sitting on the corner of Queen Street and Swan Square and designed by Messrs Watkin and Maddox, this brand new building must have been a stark contrast to the existing town in the interwar period of oausterity with its nods to an Art Deco style. I'm not sure its sense of style marries with the company name of The Burslem and District Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd.
The store opened its doors on 26th September 1932 heralded by "Mannequin Parades" and commenced business on 30th September.
It had grand ambitions according to the pamphlet that was distributed to announce its opening, an extract of which reads:
This modern store stands in one of Burslem's historic squares. It is a store that will please you, interest you, fascinate you with its up-to-date smartness, its attractive goods, its modern fittings.
The new store marks an epoch in local Co-operative history. 
The origins of the Burslem Co-operative Society date back to 1901, with one of its founder members being Frederick Hayward, who later went on to be knighted and serve the union until his death in 1944. He served on  the joint parliamentary committee of the Co-operative Union and was elected to the central committee of the International Co-operative Alliance.
The building has now been renamed Reoboth Emporium, home to the Reoboth Community Project, with a community hub and second hand shopping available in the old store.
It was once a Marc One clothing store.
This is the area known as Duck Square, containing the Duck Inn (The Swan) in Arnold Bennett's novels.
   

Taken in: UK / England / Burslem (show map)

Taken on: October 10, 2021

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Messrs. Watkin and Maddox architects

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Camera: Nikon D7100, f/6.3, 1/250 sec, 18mm (=27mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7100
Lens:	12.0-24.0 mm f/4.0
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Fine Weather
Saturation:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 21.0 (Windows)
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