Schoolboys play with a slot-car racing set called Trix in the toy section of Binns department store, Edinburgh, in November 1965placeholder image
Schoolboys play with a slot-car racing set called Trix in the toy section of Binns department store, Edinburgh, in November 1965 | TSPL

Scotland retro: 36 priceless photos show popular shops and shopping centres of the 60s and 70s

These nostalgic photos show how we shopped in the 60s and 70s, including some of the country’s most-missed department stores.

They capture scenes from popular shops and shopping centres around Scotland up to 66 years ago.

The lost shops pictured include the legendary Jenners, in Edinburgh, among other well-known department stores such as Binns, Copland & Lye, in Glasgow, Darling’s, and Arnotts.

The stores pictured range from major British chains, like Woolworths, to much-loved local independent stores, selling everything from tools to flowers.

Shoppers are seen queuing for the sales, a girl is pictured on Santa’s knee, and a gun-toting youngster is shown living out his Wild West dreams in the toy department.

These photos capture some of the biggest changes affecting the retail industry over the years, including the move to self-service and the switch to decimal currency.

They also capture shifting fashions, showing the clothes we wore and the home decor we loved in the 60s and 70s; and changing technology, with passersby seen peering through a TV shop window to watch a royal wedding in the days before everyone had smartphones.

What was your favourite place to shop in the 60s and 70s, and do these photos bring back any memories for you?

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