Thingummys makes return to city centre

A FAMILY run, independent business which traded in Chester from the late 1960s until 1999 has made a triumphant return to the city, with the children of the original owners at the helm.

- BY PAUL CROFTS

Thingummys, originally founded in Liverpool in 1966 by Alan and Susan Brown, was based on Watergate Street (now Katie's Tearooms) for many years where it expanded and became Indesign before relocating to Rufus Court from 1992-1999.

Selling furniture, fabrics and 'thingummyjigs', Thingummys rapidly became the “go to” store in Chester for designer and artisanal pieces including metalware and trendy homeware staples of the 1960s and 1970s such as Arabia Ruska dinnerware and furniture by designers including Bertoia, Kartell and Alvar Aalto.

The store also sold enamelware from Finland, printed metalware from Dodo Designs and later showcased the bespoke work of Tim Stead, sculptor, poet and furniture maker, originally from Helsby, but based in Blainslie in the Scottish Borders.