Mad Harry's - the history of a Freeman Street shopping icon
It began as a market stall on Freeman Street, Grimsby but soon progressed to a prominent corner store and then much larger premises - so who remembers Mad Harry’s?
In the early days, there would be a regular crowd standing in anticipation round the ever popular Mad Harry’s market stall.
“Mad Harry”, who had a great way with words, would sell his wares to the surrounding crowd and finished his trade day by saying: “I’m not here today and gone tomorrow. I’m here today and gone tonight”.
With lots of fun bartering, the stall was often two to three deep, consisting mainly of women (admirers) or bargain hunters keen to snap up a household item. One colleague recalls: “I remember crowds standing around his stall on the market, while they used to hold onto full tea services almost throwing them in the air.
“They used to be carefully stacked up together with plates, cups and saucers, as they were selling them off!”
A shopper in the 1990s said: “Mad Harry’s was an institution! As a single Mum in 1991, I would walk down to the store and buy all manner of things from nappies and house cleaning products to baby clothes and toys. “It was today’s pound store.”
1983
On November 5, 1983, Mad Harry's Discount Centre opened in the former Tesco supermarket on the corner of Freeman Street and Kent Street (which later became House of Holland). Former Grimsby market trader Colin Warner had created the first Mad Harry’s in Immingham in 1974.
With no fancy fittings, it was designed to be just wall-to-wall bargains. The trade name he had taken over from his cousin for the Freeman Street/Kent Street store. It soon became a family favourite.
1984
In December 1984, Colin raised a glass after purchasing the former F W Woolworth's store on Freeman Street.
1987
Mad Harry's bought 12,000 condoms to help stop AIDS spreading in Grimsby. The contraceptives were selling like hot cakes in the Freeman Street store, and around 20 per cent had gone in the first fortnight.
Company director Maurice Marks bought a huge supply and offered them at 39p per packet - about a third cheaper than most chemists' shops.
November 1996
Businessman Colin Warner drove away from his office and said goodbye to his 700 staff and a business that had touched the lives of thousands. His 30-year involvement in one of the town’s best known stores – Mad Harry, was over. Mr Warner had built up a chain of 45 Mad Harry discount shops from a stall in Freeman Street market nearly 30 years previously, but now he was to walk away from it all.
The name would carry on but, for shoppers and staff, it would mark the end of an era.
1997
An hour long power cut on December 5, 1997 caused disruption to a busy shopping day, as many of the affected premises were unable to operate cash tills and some were forced to ask customers to file out in the darkness.
Janet Kyme, assistant manager of Mad Harry's, said she believed around 100 people "if not more'' were in the shop at the time and had to leave.
“All the tills went off and we had to get all the customers into the street,'” she said at the time.
“We had to manually serve customers and ring the sales in later.'”
1998
On February 17 1998 it was announced that Mad Harry’s would close for a £30,000 facelift, reopening smaller in size and with the brand new name. It included a brand new layout for the store, new colour scheme and a few new lines. It would also be reduced by about 1,500 square foot - about a quarter of the existing size but retaining its staff.
Speaking about the changes, Anthony Keith, retail controller at Mad Harry's head office in Huddersfield, said: "The store just needs freshening up. I think the new look will be quite popular.
“We feel there is a lot more trade to be had in Freeman Street. Trade has been flagging in the street as a whole, so we are looking to regenerate trade.
“We want to appeal more to the local customers as opposed to those who are travelling to Freeman Street.
“The new look will be in keeping with the market place. We will be making the layout easier for the customer and have more powerful displays. It will just be more aggressive with a new colour scheme.
"There will be a few new lines, but no change in existing products ''
The shop closed on February 28 and reopened on March 3, 1998.
However, just four months later, the newly renamed Wot’s in Store, was in trouble. Owned by Musefield Limited, it was forced to go in administration on June 12 because of financial difficulties. By July it was sold to trading company, Poundstretcher.
2001
In April 2001, the Carpet Warehouse behind Poundstretcher caught fire and, because the two units were joined, the Poundstretcher unit was badly damaged - putting the bargain hunters’ paradise out of action. The Nelson Street blaze also forced the closure of the nearby Freeman Street Market.
Seventy-two firefighters tackled the flames which forced more than 200 people to be evacuated from the nearby Ray Edmond's Snooker Centre. Smoke damage was caused to neighbouring properties, including the adjoining Poundstretcher.
The ABC cinema had to give refunds to between 200-300 people when a power cut - a result of the blaze - sent screens blank. It was showing Rugrats In Paris at the time.
The warehouse was subsequently demolished but the Poundstretcher building remained.
2004
Two years later, in November 2004, following a £500,000 refurbishment, Mad Harry’s returned under a new name. It was also 21 years to the day that it first appeared in the shopping street, but this time re-opening as Waremart.
One of the property’s owners, Ivor Shaw, revealed the discount store’s home-coming: “Waremart has been looking for a site for a few years now and we felt they were the best candidate to enhance our property and the street.
“It is going to be better than ever, but it will still offer the same value for money as Mad Harry’s used to.”
The new superstore would offer products from furniture and DIY to high-tech goods, as well as the traditional staple of discount deals Mad Harry’s customers are used to.
Excited bargain hunters lined Grimsby’s Freeman Street for the long-awaited opening of the Waremart discount store. Queues at the checkouts were 20 deep within minutes, as goods from dressing gowns to cut-price DVD players flew from the shelves.
Colin Warner, managing director of Waremart, was beaming as the memories came flooding back. “It’s absolutely amazing to be back – the biggest sensation since I first came to Grimsby in 1968,” said Mr Warner.
“I have literally had thousands of people shaking my hand and saying how good it is to see me back. It has been just like the good old days.
“One lovely lady said she bought some flannelette pillow cases from me for a shilling and she still uses them. “We’ve already sold out of DVDs and heaters,” he added. “We can’t fill the shelves back up quick enough. “It’s been unbelievable – all you can see is a row of heads. I didn’t realise we had such a cult following.”
Among the first shoppers, Jean Syer commented: “It’s brilliant. I can remember buying things for my children when Mad Harry’s was in the market all those years ago.
“There hasn’t been anything like it since.”
2009
Sadly five years later in April 2009, it was announced that Waremart was to close, with the loss of seven jobs. One of a chain of five stores, it held a closing down sale and marked the end of Mad Harry’s in all of its guises.
2012
In mid-February 2012, Grimsby businessman Ivor Shaw bought the former Waremart store, quashing rumours that supermarket giant Sainsbury’s was to move in.
Mr Shaw, who owns Grimsby Carpet Warehouse, and had owned the building once before, started work on transforming it. The firm then relocated from the top end of Freeman Street in July 2014.
By Abby Ruston - Grimsby Live
14:40, 18 FEB 2024
