The Rushden Echo and Argus, 30th September 1949, transcribed by Gill Hollis
Bright Show by Traders Autumn, with its suggestive colourings for window displays, was seized upon by Rushden retailers of ladies and children’s wear and by florists in the Shopping Week window display competition.
Child dummies in tartans were imposed on a background of trellis and apples, and pebbles and “conkers” lent themselves to the foreground of a display of women’s wear in muted checks against a lantern-lit “village shop.”
A profusion of golden chrysanthemums and scarlet gladioli, with the mauve of Michaelmas daisies and the stark white of Madonna lilies, made the striking centrepiece of a High Street florist’s shop. It was a “framed” still life picture, effective in its simplicity of motif the oft-repeated painter’s choice of flowers in a silver bowl.
Mouth-Watering Provision stores staged unexpected shows of colour and the most mouth-watering Pigs’ heads in butter stood out against cuts of streaky bacon and the brown crusts of pies and Christmas puddings.
Underwear shops went in for the delicacy of pastels, and the men’s wear departments brought forth their best tailored shirts pastels again, in regimentation of line with brighter splashes of colour in socks and ties. Even men’s woollen winter underwear was to be seen in shades of forest moss, copper beech and bark shadow.
Result Experts from Bedford who adjudicated said that the general standard of the window displays was very high. In some cases they had great difficulty in deciding upon their awards.
Messrs. Saxby and Son, pork butchers, High Street, received the prize for large food shops.
In the section for large non-food shops first prize goes to Josephine Gowns Ltd., High Street, and second prize to Messrs. F. L. Caswell, Wellingborough Road, for their perambulator window.
Two High Street firms, Messrs. E. Abington and Son Ltd. and Messrs. F. Randall Ltd. are highly recommended the latter for their “Wolsey” window.
The contest for the small non-food shops has been won by Messrs. Horace Wright Ltd., High Street. Twenty-seven windows were entered for the competition. Certificates announcing the awards will be displayed in the winning windows.
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