Terrifying trees and Geoffrey the Giraffe - nine city shops of yesteryear
Timothy the Tree in Mothercare, Norwich back in 1994. - Credit: Archant
We can all remember the shops we visited as children, whether we were test driving the ride-on cars in Toys 'R' Us or running away from Timothy the Tree in Mothercare.
Archant community content curators, Sarah Ravencroft and Siofra Connor, have searched through the Norwich Evening News archive to find some retro pics of the Norwich shops we've lost.
Mothercare
Mothercare in the Castle Mall. - Credit: EDP.DFT
This well-known baby shop has now been replaced by Poundland in the Castle Mall, but during its lifetime it was known for its terrifying Timothy the Tree, which used to sing to unsuspecting shoppers.
Timothy the Tree in Mothercare, Norwich back in 1994. - Credit: Archant
Toys R Us
Geoffrey the Giraffe with Toys 'R' Us competition winners in 1999. - Credit: Archant
With its building still left vacant following its closure, Toys 'R' Us was a child's paradise well-known for its cheery giraffe mascot Geoffrey and middle aisle packed with ride-on toys for children to test drive to their heart's content.
The middle aisle of Toys 'R' Us where kids could test drive ride-on cars. - Credit: Eastern Counties Newspapers
One Step Beyond
One Step Beyond in Norwich. - Credit: Archant
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Back in their late-90s, early-00s heyday, video games were everywhere, with independent retailers were popping up everywhere in the city.
One of the best-loved shops was One Step Beyond with racks of video gaming delights.
One Step Beyond in Norwich. - Credit: Archant
HMV
HMV on Gentleman's Walk. - Credit: Archant
Thankfully HMV still exists in Chantry Place, but once the chain had a jumbo-sized store on Gentleman's Walk containing just about every record imaginable.
JJB
JJB Sports on Westlegate. - Credit: Archant
Before Dave Whelan's sports shop empire tumbled in 2007, JJB stood on the corner of Weslegate offering a wide variety of sporting goods before it was replaced by Tesco.
JJB Sports on Westlegate. - Credit: Archant
BHS
BHS in Norwich. - Credit: Archant
A more recent departure from St Stephen's Street in the city, BHS is yet to be replaced after it shuttered in 2016.
Littlewoods
Littlewoods in Norwich. - Credit: Archant
Located where Primark now stands, Littlewoods disappeared from our streets in the mid-00s as the company rebranded to focus on catalogues.
Debenhams
Topshop in Norwich. - Credit: Archant
Another recent departure from the city, after it fell into administration last November, the building remains vacant.
Canary Store
Norwich City's Castle Mall fan shop, Canary Store. - Credit: Archant
Before the club unveiled its state-of-the-art fan hub under Pilch, fans had to go to the club's significantly smaller Castle Mall store to buy merchandise and tickets.
There were queues around the shopping centre when Darren Huckerby turned up to sign autographs.
Darren Huckerby is swamped with fans at the Canary Store. - Credit: Archant
