Barbara Powell clothes shops to close for good after half a century
A group of family fashion shops are to close their doors after 54 years of trading.
Dennis Powell, the owner of Stafford's Barbara Powell and Separates ladies fashion shops, three of the last independent fashion shops still trading in the Midlands, has announced his decision to retire at the age of 90.
Dennis, who started the business with his late wife, Barbara, in the 1960s, said: “I am immensely proud of having provided the latest fashions to Staffordshire’s discerning customers for over 50 years but now is the right time for me to retire.
“One of the highlights has been hosting over 500 fashion shows across the county. Over the years, we have raised as much as £500,000 at present day values for named charities from entry and raffle tickets."
Barbara Powell took over Separates in Stafford 54 years ago. She started her career aged 15 with C&A Modes, a Dutch chain, in Manchester.
Within two years she was the youngest sales supervisor in the country and two years later was promoted to the buying office. She then joined Kendal Milnes, part of House of Fraser and the largest store in Manchester, as assistant buyer.
She married Dennis and they moved to Wolverhampton, where he ran press and TV advertising for Goodyear Tyres. After a stint at C&A in Wolverhampton, an opportunity arose in 1966 for Barbara to acquire Separates, the smallest fashion shop in Stafford.
Success
Barbara’s mother, who married at 17, had run a grocers and Barbara was convinced she wanted to run her own shop. Slowly, the business expanded to three shops in Stafford and one in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
From specialising in knitwear and skirts, it stocked tweed suits popular with farmers’ wives and then occasion wear. Customers came from all over the West Midlands and even Cumbria and Bristol to shop there.
Meanwhile Dennis became a teacher, joining Stafford College of Art and Design to assist on degree level Graphic Design courses, while helping Barbara with the business.
After only two years, Barbara was asked to put on a charity fashion show in Shropshire. Photographs appeared in the newspaper and this led to more requests for shows.
When Barbara died unexpectedly in September 1987, Chris Strudwick, who had worked with her, asked to take over organising the shows. There were usually 12 shows a year, each raising £1,000 from entry and raffle tickets.
When Barbara died, those close to Dennis advised him either to sell the shops or retire from college but not do both. He continued to work full time at the college while the 20 employees ran the shops. The shops’ success continued but rising car parking charges and the growth of online shopping made trading more challenging. The stock market collapse of 2008 did not help.
Dennis confirmed that the Newcastle shop, which has not re-opened since the Covid-19 lockdown, will remain closed, that Barbara Powell in Stafford is now closed and Separates will close on Saturday, October 31.
