Pawnbrokers were sometimes the only places the working class could get loans. As
many as 2000 pledges might be made on the Monday morning; sheets would still be
damp from washing, and Sunday best shoes and clothes would come in, and go out
again on Friday to use the following weekend.

The stock for this shop came from a cobblers in Burwash, Sussex, and date from 1923.
At this time people would often own a limited number of shoes and they would be repaired
rather than replaced.

At a time when specialist shops were the norm, one visited the lace maker to purchase anything from a handkerchief to a frilly pair of bloomers. Next door to the lace makers is the drapers and outfitters. Some of the earliest items are sewing machines that date from 1880.