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.
Thingummys, originally founded in Liverpool in 1966 by Alan and Susan Brown, was based in Watergate St 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.
Now, 26 years on from Indesign closing its doors, Alan and Susan's daughter, ceramic artist Kirsti Brown, her brother, well known Chester entrepreneur and musician Thor Brown and Kirsti's husband Cassian Wheeler have revived the Thingummys name in St Werburgh Street.
Kirsti and Thor said: “It’s nice that the three of us, myself, Thor and Cassian, can work together to bring the spirit of our parents’ shop and its history back to Chester."
Taking on the premises formerly occupied by Lily Vintage and trading in the shadow of Chester's historic Cathedral, Thingummys sells a range of handmade homewares and gifts, along with cards, decorative items and jewellery.
For the full story, see Chester Standard