Corner shops, off licences, newsagents around the Blackpool area are all brought into focus, with others, in this wonderful gallery of memories from the 1990s.
By the decade of the nineties supermarkets were widely used but there was still a sense of community in Blackpool and the surrounding areas with clutches of shops dotted around the places we knew well. And we needed them. Whether it was running out of milk and bread, catching up on the news with a paper or kids calling in for sweets after school, they were vital.
Bakeries, greengrocers and butchers were anchored firmly in suburbs. There were signs of change though as some were already facing renovation, as larger supermarkets increased their prominence. Others were still an integral part of serving the tight knit communities.
1. Shops of the 90s
Shops in Egerton Road, North Shore, 1999. Some of these shops were to be renovated
Photo: Rob Lock

2. Shops of the 90s
Guildfords News and Convenience store on Guildford Avenue, Bispham, 1999
Photo: Rob Lock

3. Shops in the 90s
Highfield Rd Blackpool, 1999
Photo: Rob Lock

4. Shops of the 90s
The row of shops at the junction of Cherry Tree Road and Vicarage Lane in Marton
Photo: Rob Lock

5. Shops of the 90s
Focus DIY in Vicarage Lane
Photo: Bill Johnson

6. Shops of the 90s
Garry Taylor at Taylor’s Store, Park Road Blackpool
Photo: DAVE NELSON

7. Shops of the 90s
Waterloo Convenience Store on Waterloo Road, 1999
Photo: Rob Lock

8. Shops in the 90s
Bargain Booze shop on Central Drive Blackpool, 1998
Photo: Martin Bostock

9. Shops of the 90s
Kwik Save, Whitegate Drive, Blackpool
Photo: Bill Johnson

10. Shops of the 90s
The Internet Shop Blackpool, 1999
Photo: Dave Nelson

11. Shops of the 90s
The New Market, Waterloo Road
Photo: Rob Lock

12. Shops in the 90s
Christmas shopping in Highfield Road, South Shore, 1996
Photo: John Edmondson

13. Shops of the 90s
Dapper Shop, Gynn Square Blackpool in 1999
Photo: DAVE NELSON

14. Shops of the 90s
The derelict row of shops on Poulton Road in Fleetwood, opposite St. Wulstan’s Church. They were once the heart and soul of community shopping but by 1999 they were closed and ready for redevelopment as flats
Photo: Rob Lock

15. Shops of the 90s
Kembers Off Licence Grocery Shop, 1997
Photo: DAVE NELSON

16. Shops of the 90s
The Pasty Shop, Blackpool, 1997
Photo: DAVE NELSON

17. Shops of the 90s
Mr. Discount Fishing Tackle shop, Anchorsholme Lane, Cleveleys, 1999
Photo: Dawn Castle

18. Shops of the 90s
Top Shop Stalmine, 1998
Photo: Dave Nelson

19. Shops of the 90s
Peter Horsley’s photographic shop in Fleetwood, 1999
Photo: Dawn Castle

20. Shops in the 90s
D and T McCabe Newsagents was on Poulton Rd in Fleetwood, 1997
Photo: Bill Johnson

21. Shops in the 90s
Pizza Italia Waterloo Road, Blackpool
Photo: Dawn Castle

22. Shops in the 90s
The derelict Fruit Basket shop, Poulton Rd Fleetwood. The shop, along with the rest of the row of shops was eventually turned into flats
Photo: Martin Bostock
